Cosmic Distortion
by Mighty Action X
Summary: ACT 1: Unknown to Nick and Adalind, during their showdown in the Bremen Ruins, the destruction of Adalind's Hexenbeist due to Nick's Grimm blood had actually caused a Cosmic Distortion which had thrown the two of them 20 years into the future. ACT 2: After Eve destroyed the old timeline, Nick and Adalind must venture the New World and make it a better one for their children.
1. CHAPTER 1 – The First Distortion(1)

**CHAPTER 1 – The First Distortion(1)**

There was a blinding light followed by a deafening explosion when her Hexenbeist power met its demise.

That was the last thing Adalind Schade remembered before the nothingness of the void consumed her consciousness.

"Ugh!" An unknown period of time later, Adalind awoke from the splitting headache plaguing her temple. Rubbing the aching area with her fingers as she push herself up to sit down, she opened her eyes and looked around.

She's still in the Bremen Ruins but for some reason, everything seems different, a lot different than what it was before she had her consciousness cut. Some trees seem to be taller and some vegetations and bushes a lot thicker than what she remembers. However, her thoughts were immediately interrupted by the sound of a groan from beside her.

Her brain immediately snapped to full awareness. That's right! She wasn't alone when that blinding light and that explosion caused by the death of Hexenbeist power swallowed her. Nick Burkhardt, the Grimm who forced her to swallow his blood and caused all of these was also caught by that explosion. And looking down to her side, her suspicion was confirmed.

The Grimm was lying beside her and is on his way to regain consciousness.

Consumed both by fear and confusion, Adalind scrambled to her feet and ran back to the path she'd took earlier, retracing back to where she parked her car. However, reaching the road and discovering that he car was nowhere to found. It serves as the first hint that something else after the death of her Hexenbeist had transpired.

Adalind tried to call her Mom, Sean, or any of her Wesen friends but her phone wasn't working. Hence, left with no other option, she walked the side road for an unknown amount of distance before spotting a cab.

Her utmost priority at the moment is to head home. Meet Sean and her Mom which are both probably waiting for her return. She's dreadful to break to them that she'd not only failed her mission but had also lost her powers. It will surely not end well for her but she's hoping for the best. At least she's convincing herself that they'll be a little sympathetic though probably unlikely.

However, arriving to her mother's house, the one who answered the door was a middle-aged woman she'd never seen before. Adalind immediately asked who she is and where's Catherine Schade in which she answered with 'I lived here' and that she never heard of that name before.

Adalind didn't probed further. She looked like a hooligan with her messy outfit and bloodied mouth. She knocked someone home's door in the middle of the night. So of course they're assuming the worst character from her.

Therefore she left, confused where to head next.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked to the emptiness in front of her. Something supernatural had happened after the Grimm killed her Hexenbeist power. She's not that stupid not to figure out that the place where she is right now is no longer the Portland she knows. The only question is what kind? Is she thrown inside a dream or a hallucination or is it something else?

Asking those to herself, she suddenly passed by on something that answered her queries. She passed by a house which residents had probably left for a trip or vacation so the newspapers are piled up near their mailbox.

She simply glanced towards it but when she did, her eyes could no longer look away. With widened eyes, she read the newspaper's date.

It's 2031.

* * *

'2031!' The date screamed inside Nick's head as Rosalee drove him towards a place she claimed to be his current home.

When he woke up in the Bremen Ruins after that light or explosion cut him off, he immediately called Monroe and Rosalee to check on Hank. However, his phone ceased working. Therefore, he decided to simply return there himself but returning to the road, he found his car gone. Initially, he thought Adalind must have taken it as a form of petty revenge but her car wasn't around too. There's no way she can drive two cars at the same time. His second assumption was it was stolen.

However, when he rode back to the city through a cab after walking for a while, the things he was observing, from the interior of the cab to the buildings the vehicle passed by outside, started to feel that though they are familiar, are also alien and odd.

And when he began stopping on the places where he should go, that's when things started to piece together and start to make no sense. First, Adalind's house where he's supposed to meet Monroe, Rosalee, and Hank was gone. As in the entire house was gone. What replaces it was an establishment meant more for business rather than residence.

Next he went to was his house. If something supernatural had truly happened to him and maybe even to the entirety of Portland, his first priority is to ensure that Juliette is safe.

But his home had also met the safe fate as Adalind's house. Not that it's also gone like what happened to hers but it is now homed by a family he'd never seen or met before. And when he asked them who are they and how long they'd been living there, they answered 15 years and mentioned that they bought it from a policeman who moved away to a new house with his wife when their son was born. The matriarch who met the seller way back that time even said that Nick looked like him and asked if he's a relative.

Nick simply answered 'Sort of' and took his leave.

By that time, he quite pieced together what or what might exactly is going on. He's no Detective if he can't figure it out at this point regardless of how ridiculous it might appear.

There are only two possibilities. He was either thrown into another dimension or displaced into another timeline, to the future, after killing Adalind's Hexenbeist power, with the latter being the most likely possibility. And since it had become Wesen-related matter now, his next destination was towards the only two people who can offer assistance to this kind of matter. But Monroe's house might be empty or occupied by another family now. Assuming that he pursued Rosalee and they got married and had kids, they might have moved to a more accommodating home. So the only place where there's a high possibility of meeting either one of them is the Spice Tea Shop. A lot might have change all throughout the years but Rosalee, honoring her brother's memory, will never abandon or sell the shop.

And fortunately, he was right. Rosalee was there. She was experimenting into a new concoction that she stayed despite the late hours.

"Nick!?" she exclaimed upon seeing him.

She'd aged. She's still that brilliant brunette he knows but the middle-age years had already caught up on her.

"I need your help," he said and explained what he believed is going on in which she confirmed to be correct. Since that night at the Bremen Ruins, 20 years had passed.

Of course, she freaked out at first. But with the figure of 20 years being associated with a Grimm, she immediately calmed down and thought of a solution.

So here they are now, on the road to meet his future self. Rosalee suggested that if there's someone in this timeline who can help him, it will be none other than him and his family. She called Monroe and instructed him to go to _his _house.

Rosalee tried to contact his future-self next but the one who answered was _his_ wife telling Rosalee that his future self is on the airport, fetching someone and that he left his phone at home. Rosalee told her that she's bringing someone important to them who needed their help and _his_ wife replied okay.

However, Nick noticed something odd from Rosalee's behavior as she talked to his wife. When she called and realized that it was her that answers the phone, Rosalee forces herself to not utter her name. She also refused to make her talk to him.

Nick asked if his wife is Juliette. Rosalee answered 'No'. It's someone else they know. "The two of you never worked," she coldheartedly said.

Nick was saddened that he and Juliette never made it but for some reason, he didn't find it surprising. Probably deep down, since becoming a Grimm and entering the world of the Wesens, he knows that it will crumble down someday and it broke his heart that it actually ended up that way.

Nick asked who his wife is but then Rosalee answered that she can't tell him now because he will not only not believe her but given the timeline where he came from, he might not handle the truth either.

It both confused and frightens Nick. Who could be the identity of his wife that the current _Him_ might find it unacceptable? Then Rosalee suddenly asked. "Um Nick, when you were thrown here. Were you alone or was Adalind with you?"

"It's highly likely," Nick replied. The explosion came directly from her and her Hexenbeist power. If he was caught up by it then surely she was too. "But I was alone when I woke up so I can't be certain."

"If she's here, we must find her," Rosalee said with urgency.

"Yeah, of course," Nick nodded. "As much as I hate having her around. I can't leave her to rot here."

"It's not just that," she said. Expression growing more concern.

"What do you mean?" Nick frowned.

"Later. I'll explain everything later. What I know about you from where or rather, from when you came from is worth 20 years. I can't just dump it all to you in one go right now. We go to your house first, meet your future self and your family. And next in our priorities is finding Adalind."

Nick was about to respond but suddenly…

_Ring! Ring!_

…her phone rang.

"Kelly?" She frowned upon checking the caller's ID.

"Kelly?" Nick repeated, wondering. _Rosalee knew someone with the same name as my Mom? _

"It's your son," she looked at him and clarified. Then she answered the phone, "Hey K, what is it?"

* * *

"Oh crap!" Adalind cursed under her breath. When she thought this night couldn't get any worse, she was proven so damn wrong.

Right now, a group of street rats are surrounding her. And their intentions are pretty obvious.

"Stay away from me!" she warned menacingly. However, deep down she knows it's simply nothing else but unsubstantiated tough exterior.

She's currently powerless.

If she was still a Hexenbeist, dealing with these lowlives wouldn't even pass as an exercise.

"Don't be like that sweetheart," the one in front of her called and raucous laughter echoed around her.

Adalind braced herself. Feet apart, unearthing everything she knows in hand-to-hand combat through her panic. If she can at least take down one of them, it will give her a leeway to run away.

But then, a voice of a male youth suddenly boomed from the corner. "Hey! Why don't you pick someone your own size?"

All of them turned to the source of the voice and a teenage boy with dark hair emerged from the shadows.

"Stay out of this ki…" One of the scumbags tried to threaten but before he could finish his sentence, the teenage boy kicked a rock which directly hit the scumbag's forehead, knocking him out cold instantly.

"I don't have time for this," he said, "I have a curfew," and lunged to the remaining men.

He easily handled all the remaining scumbags down. His skills are impressive. He's not just a street punk. Observing how he fights, it's obvious that he's well-trained for combat.

But that's not all. She nearly missed it because she's only a Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen now but she's certain that this young man had also used Telekinesis in his fighting style. He would either use it to freeze in place an attacker while he's occupied by another or to intensify the power of his kicks and punches.

He's concealing it behind ordinary attacks but there's no mistaking it. He's a Zauberbeist.

"Hey Miss, are you okay?" Taking down the last of the scumbags, the teenage Zauberbeist asked her as he approaches her. "You shouldn't…"

But then he suddenly stopped in track when he gained a clear view of her face.

He gaped followed by an exclamation that literally shook Adalind's soul. "Mom!?"

The young Zauberbeist called her 'Mom'.

"What are you doing here!?"

* * *

Initially, Kelly was confused. What the hell is his mother doing in this kind of place in the middle of night?

"What did you just called me?" His mother asked.

But when that question was raised. Those words filled with disbelief and confusion softly escaping her lips. Kelly reconsidered that initial judgment.

_Is this really her?_

She looked very different. Not in terms of appearance. She is literally the exact copy of his mother and she also looked to be around her late 20s, same again as his Mom despite her actual age actually being 46. Instead, what greatly discriminate her from his mother, Adalind Burkhardt, is how insecure, indecisive, and desperate she looked. His Mom is the most confident woman he knows. The complete opposite of this one.

Thus, Kelly did what he can do in the situation to be certain. He scanned her. It's a trick taught by Diana where he can use his Zauberbeist power both to identify a person's identity as well as to gauge their combat capability.

The same time he was done, the woman then suddenly approached him and asked, "You called me Mom. Is your mother Adalind Schade?"

The result then registered. "Whoa!" And Kelly exclaimed to what it displayed.

Kelly intently stared at her in dead silence. His eyes riddled with disbelief. "Oh my god, you are her." The only difference is she's only 26 years old. What the hell is going on?!

"I can explain what's going on," she said. "But please, tell me. Are you really Adalind Schade's son?"

Kelly nodded. "Yeah, I am."

Hearing that, she sighed heavily in relief. "Please help me. Bring me to her."

"I can do that but you have to explain what's going on first right now. Who are you? You're Adalind Schade but you're not my Mom."

* * *

After telling her future son, who introduced his name to be Kelly, everything she believed had happened and from what timeline she came from including that he also arrived with the Grimm, they immediately hit the road to meet her future self.

"Wow, a Maybach," Adalind complimented on the car. "This is one pricey car you have."

"Actually it's your car. I just borrowed it for the night."

"This is mine?"

"Oh yeah. One of your three actually. You also have an Aston and a Ferrari Dad bought you during your 10th anniversary."

Three cars. Each with the minimum of 5 zeroes. Wow, they sure are pretty loaded. Which raise the question now.

"Um, Kelly?"

"Yeah?"

"Who's your father?" Or more accurately, who is her husband?

* * *

Kelly swallowed hard when 2011 Adalind suddenly asked about his Dad. "Um…about Dad? Um…"

"Yes?" she insisted.

_He's Nick Burkhardt. _Kelly wanted to say. However, he can't since she's from 2011 and worse, she's from that night in the Bremen Ruins.

2011 was not the best year between his parents. No one in the family and their closest friends are alien to their former animosity to one another and the incident in Bremen Ruins was the worst of that. During that time, neither would hesitate to hurt the other with his mother more than willing to resort into any underhanded method to either hurt or kill his Dad. His Dad had also killed his Mom's Hexenbeist power during that night, the most precious to her back then.

This woman beside him is the living remnant of that time of hatred. If he tells her right now that years later the two of them will be married with kids, she will surely freak out.

_Ring! Ring!_

Fortunately, his phone rang. And taking advantage of this sudden interruption to sway away from her probing, he answered it without looking at the caller. "I have to take this," he said and swipe the screen and answered. "Hello?"

_-WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?_

But when he did, the loud and angry scream of his Mom boomed against his eardrum. And jerking in response, he distanced the phone away from him.

_-I TOLD YOU THAT YOU SHOULD BE HOME BY 10. YOU'RE STILL IN THAT BITCH'S HOUSE, AREN'T YOU!?_

The phone was not on loudspeaker but her voice was loudly and clearly heard within the car. Even 2011 Adalind flinched upon hearing the familiar voice angrily screaming from the other line.

Kelly's face paled and fearfully replacing the phone back against his ear, he said, "Hey Mom. No, it's not what you think."

_-We warned you, young man! _She reminded, teeth clenching. _-Your Dad and I might be permitting your relationship with her but it doesn't mean you two can do whatever you want! You should have been home an hour ago!_

"Really Mom, it's not that," Kelly insisted. "I was already on my way home but I meet some trouble on the road."

_-Trouble? _Her voice turned worried. _-Why? What happened?_

"Can you shift to videocall?" Kelly requested. "There's someone I want you to see."

_-What? Who?_ His Mom asked but didn't insist further as she did as he asked. "What is it?"

When the dark screen surface reflected her face, he positioned the phone in front of his Mom's 2011 version. "I met someone you might now," he said.

* * *

Upon seeing her through the phone, her future self's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Hi," Adalind nervously greeted.

Followed by an exclamation. "What the hell? Kelly!?"

"Yeah?"

"Who is that woman and why does she looked like me!?"

"Mom, she's you," Kelly explained briefly.

"What nonsense is that? I'm right over here, how can she be me?"

"She's you but not the 'You' you from here. She's the 'You' from 2011."

"2011? I don't understand."

"Remember the night at Bremen Ruins during that year?"

"How can I forget?"

Adalind frowned. When Kelly reminded her future self about that night at the Bremen Ruins, Adalind noticed that she doesn't sound angry. On the contrary, she reacted like she's reminiscing a pleasant memory. _'What the hell?' _That was when that damn Grimm ruined them.

"She's from that night. She said that after the death of her Hexenbeist power, there was an explosion and when she woke up, she's already here. 20 years since that night."

"What!? How was that even possible?"

"I don't know too. That's why I'm bringing her home. Maybe you and Dad could figure out something."

"Are you sure she's me? She could be a poser or a shapeshifting Wesen trying to trick you."

"I'm certain, I scanned her. She's genuinely you except that she's only 26 years old."

Her future-self nodded. "Let me talk to her."

Kelly handed her the phone.

"Hey?"

"Hi," Adalind greeted back.

"I'll be honest, this is so unbelievable but, I've been through a lot of weird things over the past decades so I guess this is just another Tuesday for me."

"Sound like I've been through a lot."

"You have no idea."

Adalind then took the opportunity to observe her future-self. No wonder Kelly immediately recognized her. Even after the passing of 2 decades she barely aged. However, the composure of the 'Her' of this timeline is a world apart from the current her. There's peacefulness on her, calm, and an overflowing confidence that's not pulled from her nature as a Hexenbeist.

Above all, she looked happy.

Adalind then glanced to Kelly then to the fancy vehicle they are riding. _'She had everything. Everything she wanted in life. Everything I wanted in my life.' _Adalind couldn't help rejoicing inside. Just a few hours ago, she thought she'd lost everything but now, she's seeing the future where everything she could ever wish for -love, family, wealth- are all hers.

It's overwhelming.

"By the way…" Then, her thoughts were interrupted when all of the sudden, Future Adalind asked her, "Were you the only one who got pulled here?"

* * *

The younger version of his Mom shook her head in reply but it was Kelly who verbally answered. "Da…" he almost said 'Dad' but managed to stop himself. "…The Grimm also crossed along with her."

"Yes, Nick Burkhardt is also here!" The younger Adalind exclaimed venomously. "I don't know where he is now but he was with me when I woke up."

Hearing that, his mother woged. Since younger Adalind is no longer a Hexenbeist, she wasn't able to see it but Kelly did. "Kelly?" His Mom looked at him and the side of her face twitched.

"Yeah," Kelly replied, and decoding his mother's gesture, they switched back to normal call and replaced the phone against his ear.

_-I'm safely assuming you haven't told her._

"Of course."

_-Good. You shouldn't. That woman is the lowest impression your father had on me and he isn't wrong. Don't tell her anything not until you get home. She might snap. It's too dangerous._

"Yeah Mom, I understand."

_-By the way, your Aunt Rosalee called your Dad's phone earlier. She said she's with someone who needed our help. When I asked her who, she said she'll just explain when they get here. With what my past self said, I believe it might be the younger version of you Dad. Call her to confirm that. I'll try to contact your Dad over here through Diana._

Kelly nodded and said softly, "Yes, I'll do that."

_-Alright. _She said and then added _-And oh by the way…_

"Yeah?"

_-Knock her out._

"What? Why?" Kelly was shock. His mother is telling him to knock her younger self unconscious.

_-An insurance. _She said. _-Something might slip from you on your way here and I don't trust her to be rational when that happened. It's wiser to completely eliminate the odds instead. Moreover, you're going to contact Rosalee. You can't have her around when you do that._

"It's uncomfortable but yeah, I'll handle it."

_-Good. If something else came up, I'll call._

"Alright Mom, love you."

_-I love you too. Be careful._

* * *

"Hey K, what is it?"

_-Is the person you're bringing to our house the 2011 version of Dad?_

"What?" Rosalee was shocked. "How did you know that?"

_-First thing first, can he hear me? _Kelly whispered almost inaudibly.

"No, he's not there yet," she confirmed.

_-Good._

Kelly then explained what happened while he was on his way home and saved what he thought back then was a random girl. Then there's the talk between his Mom and her past self.

"Thank God," Rosalee sighed heavily in relief knowing that Adalind is safe. "How is she?"

_-She's fine but Mom told me to knock her out, so I did._

"That's probably for the best," she reassured him.

_-By the way, what did you tell Dad?_

"Just the overview. How about you?"

_-Same here. You know how it was back then._

"Who doesn't?"

_-So, I'll see you two back home then._

"Alright, be careful."

_-You too._

"What was that?" Nick asked as she puts down the phone.

"Um…a relative of mine staying in town for the week got herself into some trouble and Kelly helped her." Rosalee lied. "He called to tell me that she's okay."

"Is-is my son a Grimm?" Nick asked hesitantly.

Rosalee nodded. "Yeah, he is."

* * *

Nick was saddened. He knows that it's nigh-certain that a Grimm will be sired among his future children but he still kind of hope that he wouldn't. He wished that they would be born normal and lived a normal life far from the madness of the Wesen world. But just like what happened or what will happen with him and Juliette, the future didn't go the way he wanted. At least what the current _Him_ wanted.

Their drive continued and deep in thoughts, Nick missed to realize that they'd finally arrived to their destination. "We're here." Rosalee announced as she turns the engine off.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Nick immediately raises his head up and his eyes went wide in disbelief. "This is my house?" He asked Rosalee as they exit her car.

Calling it a house will be an insult. This residence is a freaking mansion. Like one of those houses owned by royalties from European countries. How the hell did he even afford to purchase this?

"Yeah, you've been living here for 10 years." Rosalee specified. "C'mon, she's waiting for us."

Rosalee lead him towards the front door but before they could reach it, she stopped and faced him. "Nick, before we get in there. Promise me that whatever happened, you will remain calm. Can you do that?"

"Rosalee, I don't understand," Nick couldn't help but to be nervous. It's been bothering him. Since meeting her in the Spice Tea Shop and revealing his identity, she'd been tense all the time. Most especially when she tried to call his future self and the one who answered was his wife. Her state of alarm further intensified. And until now, he couldn't still figure out the reason why. Does it had something to do with the identity of his future wife that she'd been refusing to disclose from the moment he asked? Just who could she be?

"Just promise, okay?"

"Alright, I promise."

Sighing deeply, she resumed to the front door and Nick followed behind her. Beside the door was a scanner, in which Rosalee pressed her palm against.

"Accepted!" A computer voice responded. Then, as the door unlocked, another voice, belonging to a female, boomed next from the speaker. "Rosalee, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

Nick paused for a moment. At that moment, he feels like the universe had acted to take his breath away. That voice just now was the voice of his future wife. The woman who said 'I do' to him in front of the altar and promised to love him forever. Rosalee said earlier that she's someone they knew though he failed to clarify if they'd known her exactly during the time where he came from or from the years later. Because to be honest, he's only acquainted to a very few from the opposite sex. He could not think of anyone he already knew that could have ended up as his lifetime partner. He sort of sensed some familiarity from her but due to the speaker distorting her voice into a robotic tone, his attempt to identify her fails.

"I'm at the living room," her robotic voice said.

"Okay." Rosalee replied and then told Nick, "Let's go."

The door opened, letting them enter. And once both of them are inside, the door closed automatically and locked again.

"Impressive security," Nick commented and not just towards the hand scanner beside the door. Earlier outside, he noticed the surveillance cameras surrounding the house. The door itself is a composition of tough layers of steel while the walls are nearly a couple of feet thick.

"You learn from experience not to take chances anymore. Though at this point, all of these are barely necessary."

Again, Nick wanted to ask what she probably meant by that. However, he decided not to insist. She promised that explanations will be given later. But for now, the first thing to do first is to meet his family. Starting with his future wife.

She was standing in front of the fireplace with her back on them when he and Rosalee entered the room and Nick was filled with anticipation knowing the identity of the woman his future-self had married.

She's blonde. The first thing he noticed was her wavy golden hair. Next was the thick grey sweater and leggings that perfectly hug her well-proportioned body. She's someone too gawked at. Nick can figure out that much.

However, when she turned to face them, the dreamy image Nick had in his mind shattered when her identity is revealed. Instantly, it was replaced by horror and panic.

It was Adalind! And he's inside his house.

"What are you doing here!?" Nick roared, reaching his waist for the gun that wasn't there.

Right now, Nick's mind is filled with the worst images imaginable. He imagined his family suffering, harmed by her. He doesn't know how she got here? How she bypasses the tight security his future self reinforced into his home. But she is here and there's nothing good about that fact.

Realizing that he actually does not have a weapon, he tried to charge towards her but Rosalee stopped him.

"Nick no!"

"What is she doing here?" He screamed at Rosalee, struggling from her hold. "Oh my god, what had she done!? Where's my family!?"

"Nick calm down!" Rosalee insisted. "She's not a threat."

"How can you say that?"

"Because she's your wife!"


	2. CHAPTER 2 – The First Distortion(2)

**CHAPTER 2 – The First Distortion(2)**

For the second time for the night, Adalind woke up with a splitting headache. Only that this time, where she awoke was within a moving car. She couldn't understand why she suddenly fallen unconscious. Under her hysterical state, sleeping would be the last thing that would register in her body. But then, she remembered her future son, Kelly, pressing her forehead with his finger and everything spun to nothingness.

'_Did he just knock me out?'_

"Hey, welcome back," Kelly greeted when he noticed her rousing awake.

"What? What happened?" Adalind blinked repeatedly, trying to straighten her focus then glared at Kelly when she did. "What did you do?"

"Sorry about that. It was Mom's idea. Apparently, she doesn't trust you with her son. She said you're the most unstable period of her life."

"My future self thinks I'm that?"

"She does not think, she knows. She used to be you, remember?" He reminded. "Anyway, we're here." He said as the car neared a very beautiful mansion.

Adalind gaped, "This is my house?"

"Pretty neat, eh? Dad built it with you in mind. From inside to out, he filled it all the things you loved."

'_He isn't kidding' _Adalind thought, her eyes trembling with emotions. She recognized the look of this mansion. As a little girl dreaming that she's a princess, the palace in her dream looked exactly like this. It's her dream house and her future husband had fulfilled it with flying colors.

"Wow," she uttered under breath.

"And speaking of Dad," Kelly suddenly said when on their way to the garage, they passed a Prius parked near the front door. "He's already here. At least one of him is."

The comment bewildered Adalind. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll find out soon." He said and the car entered the garage. And true to what he said, the garage was occupied with four more cars, two in which the models he said she owned. The remaining two on the other hand was a 1967 Alvis convertible and an Impala. Both are classic cars. "The Alvis is Diana's," Kelly said when he saw her eyeing curiously at them as they exit of the car. "No one is allowed to use it but her. The Impala is mine. I don't want to use it often too."

"Who's Diana?"

"Your eldest and my know it all sister," he said. "She's currently studying in England but will be home tonight for vacation. Dad is fetching her right now at the airport. Though I assume her flight got delayed considering that they should have been home a couple of hours ago."

Adalind absorbed the new information. Aside from a son, there's also Diana, a daughter.

"Over here now," he said gesturing to the door. "Mom is waiting." But suddenly, when they were at the door, Kelly stopped and turned to her. "Though…I might have to ask you one thing. When we get there, would you promise to stay calm? I mean, I promise, everything will be okay."

Adalind glared. Her mind is now plagued with more misgivings. They're hiding something. Kelly and her future-self. She had her suspicions way back in the car when future Adalind shifted from videocall and talked to Kelly especially when it turns out that one of the matters they talked about was having her knocked out for the rest of the drive. "Alright, I'd had enough. What's going on?" Adalind snapped and demanded.

"The rest of the answer you want is in there. It's not my story to tell, so I'm not gonna tell you what I and everyone else know in this timeline." Kelly replied. "But, I can at least say this. 20 years had passed since that night in the Bremen Ruins and a lot of things happened. Things that you might never consider even in your wildest dream back then."

'_And it's so hard to believe that all of them will be this uneasy? Just what kind of thing is it?' _

"So, I want you to promise me. Whatever you will see in there, you will remain calm and trust me until we explain everything. Can you do that?"

"Alright," she said after a few moment of silence. "I promise. Now, show me whatever the hell it is."

"This way please."

The room next to the garage was a library which also doubles as a Hexenbeist workshop. It's huge in space so it had taken them quite a bit to reach to the other end where the door leading to the living room, where Kelly said is where her future-self is waiting, is located.

There was a commotion erupting from the other side upon reaching it. She could hear a familiar voice of a man shouting hostilely.

Kelly heard it too and remarked. "Good timing. They're just starting."

Adalind could not understand it but at that moment, she suddenly became terrified to see what's on the other side of the door.

Then, Kelly opened the door.

The moment of the unveiling, Adalind felt like the universe had taken form and punched her in the gut. Because what was revealed on the other side of the door was her future self, standing near the fireplace. Now that she'd seen her in person, she can confidently confirmed that she'd mellowed during the past decades. She's at peace and above all, she's truly happy.

Next was a middle-aged woman whom she could recognize but could not pinpoint whom she is exactly. And lastly, the man she ran away from just earlier this night, the man she loathed and the man who had taken everything from her.

It's none other than the Grimm, Nick Burkhardt himself.

However, seeing him again and her hatred towards him wasn't actually what struck her towards the world of utter disbelief but what the middle aged woman said as she stopped him from attacking her future-self.

"Because she's your wife!"

* * *

"What!?" Nick exclaimed, and he wasn't alone. Behind him, a familiar feminine voice had also exclaimed the same word.

Turning around, she saw another Adalind. However, this Adalind was more familiar to him. She had the same clothing and appearance as the Adalind he'd just fought earlier in the Bremen Ruins. Far from the Adalind near the fireplace who is a little older and has a calmer demeanor than her.

However, as of now, he paid her no mind to her as well as to the teenage boy standing beside her. His attention immediately returned to Rosalee. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? There's no way I'm…" he was about to say, glancing back to the Older Adalind but his voice trailed off when his gaze landed on the frames of pictures lined neatly above the fireplace.

On the first frame, there's him, suited in a tux and beside him in a white wedding dress is none other than Adalind. The next frames were pictures of two children. A blonde girl who looked a lot like Adalind and young boy who's nearly a carbon copy of him when he was still a kid. Then, on the succeeding frames were either the two of them with those kids or just the two of them.

Nick stilled, his entire body frozen. He gaped and nearly ceased breathing. "No. This can't be." He stared at the Older Adalind again and then back to the younger one behind him who's currently carrying the same shock expression as he is. But this time, however, Nick gave attention to the teenage boy standing beside her. This boy is without doubt the same boy in the pictures above the fireplace.

"Kelly," the Older Adalind called to the boy.

'_Kelly.' _The name echoed in Nick's mind. The name of his mother.

"Hey Mom," Kelly crossed the room, passing him and Rosalee. The Older Adalind then kissed and hugged him.

"Are you okay?" she asked, cupping his face lovingly. "Weren't she any trouble?"

"She's cool, Mom." Kelly reassured her. "She's a bit of what you feared though."

"It must have been hard for you. Go get some rest." She told him. "You probably just have to see Diana tomorrow."

"You sure?" Kelly challenged. "I mean, are you sure," he said again, glancing momentarily to them this time. "My sister isn't actually the biggest priority right now."

"Your Aunt Rosalee and I can handle this," she assured him. "You're tired. I know you're tired. So go get some rest now."

"Alright," Kelly nodded, hugging his mother once more. He also say goodnight to Rosalee and then lastly, he gazed back and forth between him and Adalind with meaningful eyes but said nothing else except goodnight.

Finally, he smiled shyly and left.

"Nick," the Older Adalind started after Kelly left. "I know this is a lot to process. Believe me, I can understand. That year was the worst for us."

Nick didn't reply. He continue to remain there, silent, unmoved. He could hear all of Older Adalind's words but he could not find a proper means to respond. After all, it is not every day that a man will find out that the woman he loathed the most was also the woman meant for him.

Finally, after the long silence, Nick finally spoke. "How?"

"It's not that hard to love you," was her simple answer.

"How about me?" How did she make him love her? How did his future-self let go of Juliette and choose her after all the things she'd done?

"That…ummm…" She wanted to answer but her expression conveys that though she wanted to, she does not know where to begin. It's something very, very, very complicated, no doubt. The fact that they ended up together despite their violent history was a hint enough that the circumstances of their relationship and marriage is an intersection of countless complexities.

By then, Rosalee intervened. "I don't think she's fit to answer all of that. Let's wait until Nick gets home. He can clarify things a lot better for you."

The Nick Burkhardt of this timeline. His future self. Nick then started to wonder what kind of a person he'd become. He can determine through those pictures above that fireplace that if Adalind had mellowed over the years, he had roughened round the edges. The Nick he saw in those pictures despite being happy is a nearly a complete opposite of what he currently is. In simpler words, if the current him is 99% cop and 1% Grimm, the Nick Burkhardt of this timeline is nearly a 120% Grimm.

The Older Adalind and Rosalee then guided them to rest on the couch.

"You must be hungry," the Older Adalind said to him and Adalind. "I'll go get something to eat."

"Can I help?" Rosalee volunteered.

"Sure," Older Adalind replied after some hesitation and they both head towards the kitchen, leaving only him and Adalind behind.

And the entire time, if they weren't staring questioningly to one another, their gazes would lock onto the pictures above the fireplace. Nick doesn't have to guess what Adalind might be thinking. It's without doubt just the same as his.

"How can it be you?" Finally, she could no longer stand the tension and broke the silence. "What the hell were my future-self thinking marrying a Grimm?"

"What the hell were my future-self thinking marrying a Wesen. And not just any Wesen but the Hexenbeist who nearly killed my Aunt and my partner?" Nick growled back.

They glared at each other but then stared at the pictures above the fireplace once again afterwards. As if it's enticing them.

Nick sighed. "I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual," Adalind angrily agreed.

"Then why is it the 'us' of this time looked so happy?"

* * *

"You think it's really fine to leave those two alone?" Adalind asked Rosalee, glancing worriedly from time to time to where they left her and her husband's younger selves as the two of them prepare some Bolognese.

She doesn't know what got into her that she agreed to Rosalee's gesture of letting those two alone with each other. The Nick and Adalind of 2031 are those that can't keep their hands from each other but those two they left in the living room are the ones who are disgusted with one another. Leaving them alone especially with what was just thrown at them spelled bad idea.

"They needed to set in what they'd just know," Rosalee explained. "Alone time is a good first step."

"But they hated each other," Adalind argued.

"And a few years afterwards, will be married with kids," Rosalee retorted. "They might not accept it for now but it's enough to keep them away from doing anything impulsive."

But then…**BOOM!**

A loud explosive sound boomed from the living room.

They both froze.

"Or I should be stand corrected," Rosalee face paled.

"Oh my god!" Adalind exclaimed, equally panicked. And the two of them run back to the living room with haste.

* * *

"Then why is it the 'us' of this time looked so happy?" Nick Burkhardt said. Her worst enemy. The Grimm. The man she hated the most. The one who took everything from her. And now, the man that in the future had promised and given her everything.

The words of Kelly still echoed in her head. This house. Her life. The life they had in this timeline. From his words, she could tell that his father, her husband, the Nick Burkhardt of this time, loved her so much.

It's overwhelming. For the first time in her life, someone had actually loved her to that extent. Something that she never had from her parents…from Sean. Despite the lengths and sacrifices she's willing to go through to make them happy. However, that love was from the most unlikely person. Nick Burkhardt. Who does not only hate her to the bones but is also a Grimm, the natural predator of their kind. There've been stories of Wesens having relationships with Grimms but never once had those stories ended up with marriage and a 'happily ever after'. What mostly happen is that their innate differences gets the better of them eventually and the relationship never worked. It even ends with carnage and violence.

Adalind didn't reply immediately. Instead, she stood off the couch and stand close to the pictures. She first touched the picture of the young girl. Her name is Diana. Her eldest. She looked a lot like her, only that she had that smile she never express when she was about her age. The same is true with her son. Kelly.

And through those, Adalind could tell that whatever she never had, the moment she'd become a mother, her future-self guaranteed that her daughter, both her children, will never experience the shortfalls she'd gone through.

"Something worked along the way, I guess," she finally said.

"Wish someone could tell me now what the hell is it," Nick said as he too stood before the fireplace, giving the framed pictures a closer look.

Adalind then strode a step back to return to couch but then, something tripped her and she landed butt-first to the floor. "Ow!"

"Hey," Nick motioned to aid but before he could finish his second step…

"Addie, we're home!" The door connected to the library suddenly opened, bringing about two people.

"Kelly, we're ba…" One of them was a blonde young woman no older than 20. She was calling for Kelly but her words trailed off when she saw them.

The same also happened to the man the blonde young woman was with. When he saw them, his entire body went still. He glanced back and forth between her and Nick before his eyes burned with murderous intent.

And the identity of this man? Adalind identified him to be none other than Nick Burkhardt himself. The Nick Burkhardt of this time to be more accurate.

Seeing them, without a word, he immediately motioned to pull a gun. Realizing that he doesn't have any, he grabbed the space in front of him and a wooden staff appeared out of nowhere.

Adalind's eyes widened in surprise. Since when did Grimms learned to use magic?

Then immediately afterwards, the Nick of this timeline thrust the wooden staff and a shockwave was fired towards them. However, instead of attacking them both or just her, as she would expect from the Grimm who is totally pissed over her. The shockwave was solely directed to the other Nick Burkhardt.

**BOOM!**

He flung backward, severely hitting the wall.

* * *

"Diana, go get your Mom." Her Dad ordered Diana.

"Mom!" The order was unnecessary though. Diana was already on her way to her mother's side. "Are you alright?" She asked but when she touched her, she suddenly felt something amiss. Her expression stiffened. "What in the…? You're not…"

"Nick stop!" By then, the voice of her real mother boomed from the direction of the kitchen. She was with Aunt Rosalee and they were rushing to stop her stepfather from killing the other guy who looked exactly like him.

"Adalind?" Her Dad frowned. While still holding his lookalike in air, he glanced back and forth between her Mom and the Adalind beside her. "What's going on?"

Ten minutes later, after her Dad healed the other Nick from broken bones and probably brought him back to life as well given the severity of the impact he endured, her Mom and her Aunt Rosalee explained what happened and who these lookalikes of her parents truly are.

"You're saying that they're from 2011? The night in the Bremen Ruins?" Her Dad said to Rosalee. When Rosalee nodded, his expression instantly turned ugly. "And you brought HIM to my house!? Are you out of your mind!?"

This degree of anger. Diana rarely sees it but when it does, it scares her.

"He needed help."

"And you also knew what it was back then! He could have hurt Adalind!"

"Nick Nick, calm down," her Mom finally interjected while Rosalee mumbled 'sorry' repeatedly. "Nothing happened, alright. Everything turns out fine."

Her Mom's hands on his shoulders and hearing her soft reassurance, only then did he calm down. He even apologized to Rosalee for raising his voice. Meanwhile, the younger versions of her parents both carried an expression of utter disbelief especially the younger version of her Dad. She heard the stories but the tales are nothing compared to the real stuff. So it was actually that bad.

"So what now?" Her dad breathed deeply.

"Lots had happened. It's late too." Her Mom said. "Everyone is obviously tired. Let's start things again tomorrow." Then turning to their younger versions, "Would that be okay for you two?"

"Yeah." "Oh sure." They both nodded.

"How about you Rosalee? I thought Monroe is on his way here?"

"I missed two of his calls but he texted too." She said, currently checking on her phone. "The triplets took the jeep again."

Her Mom groaned. "You probably should head home."

Aunt Rosalee nodded. "I'll bring Monroe along tomorrow. We'll figure this out."

"The two of you must be tired," her Mom said to her and her Dad after Rosalee left. "I'll take care of the rest here. You two go ahead and rest." Then she said to her. "Diana, your luggages?"

"In the car but let's deal with that tomorrow," she replied. "And you go with Dad. I'll take it from here."

"No Diana, you just flew for hours…"

"No!" She cut her off. "I insist." She tried to hide it but her Mom looked extremely exhausted. Compared to what she'd gone through these past hours, meeting the remnants of her and her husband's old selves and the complications wrapped along with it, her jetlag is nothing. At the same time, Diana is curious to know more regarding the younger version of her parents. She heard the stories but they're already so lovey-dovey when she came around so she doesn't have much insight. Now's the chance to have that.

* * *

"So, you two are from that time when those two lovebirds still hated each other?"

"You can put it like that." Adalind replied with a complicated expression especially when Diana used the term _lovebirds_ to describe her and Nick's versions in this timeline.

"I heard the stories but I always doubted its validity. The Adalind and Nick I know would kill anyone who will try to hurt the other. Makes it hard for me to imagine that once upon a time, you two were actually aiming at each other's necks."

"Guess a lot things happened a few years after that night," Adalind said and then asked. "By the way," she started, glancing nervously at Nick. "How long have the two of us been married?"

Nick glanced her a frown but then focused immediately back to Diana, eager as well to hear the answer.

"Together for 16, been married for 15."

* * *

"16 years?" Nick immediately made a calculation in his head.

4 years, even less from the time where they're from, he and Adalind will have a romantic relationship, live together, and then a year later, they got married. Wow. Just a year together and they already tie the knot. Makes him think about her current relationship with Juliette. Even if they will broke up next month or next year because Adalind is the one meant for him, they still have nearly 4 years of intimacy and love and yet despite of that when he proposed, she turn him down. Yes, he's hiding stuffs from her and that stops her from saying 'Yes'. But, if their love for each other, if her love for him is as strong as they believed it is, she would have said 'Yes' regardless of the uncertainties. But she didn't. The uncertainties beat her.

Then, the same circumstances had applies too to Adalind four years later from the time they're from. One year. They were together for one year. Several years shorter than what he had with Juliette. And same with her, she had a reason to say 'No'. No, she had a lot of reasons to say 'No'. The circumstances of how they met were through death and violence and all the weirdness this world has to offer. Not including yet the fact that they tried to kill each other and he had the feeling that in the continued timeline from that night at the ruins, it won't be the last time that they would.

And yet…it worked? All those things that could have kept them apart were voided and nulled and they loved each other? It sounded like a sick joke.

"Alright, you two will be staying here." Diana suddenly said, interrupting him from his thoughts. She stopped in front of a double door room. "Rest well."

"Whoa, what do you mean 'you two'?" Adalind complained. "There's a lot or spare rooms in this house. Why do we have to sleep in the same room?"

Nick had the same thoughts.

"You have to tolerate being together if you want to **tolerate** seeing my parents together tomorrow or the day after that if you two are still around." Diana argued. "I'm telling you, my parents are not actually the shy type in showing their affections," she said while her eyebrows wiggled. "If you know what I mean."

"I can't sleep with him in the same room!" Adalind insisted.

"Me either!"

"Goodnight." With playful smile, Diana ignored their complaints and started to leave. "And don't bother getting into the other rooms. They're locked."

"Diana!?" Their pleas fallen into deaf ears. Diana's figure eventually disappeared, leaving only the two of them.

"Oh screw this!" Adalind suddenly exclaimed after a frustrated silence. "I don't care anymore! I'm tired, I stink, I want to sleep already!"

She then opened the room's door and stomped herself in. Nick followed after her, sighing defeatedly in his heart. She might be his future wife but the 'them' with that sort of relationship is not yet the current them. The current 'them' can't still stand being together. Still, it's not a bad idea to at least start somewhere like spending the night inside the same room.


	3. CHAPTER 3 – The First Distortion(3)

**CHAPTER 3 – The First Distortion(3)**

"Rise and shine!"

The next morning, Adalind was awakened by Kelly's loud and energetic voice.

Opening her eyes, she was at first disoriented. Were the things that happened the night before real? Did she truly been thrown into a timeline where her life is romantically tied with Nick Burkhardt? They were more likely just a dream. An output of her life's stresses.

However, clearing her foggy vision paired with Kelly's voice calling out for them, she realized that there's nothing made up of everything that transpired last night especially when she also saw Nick Burkhardt slowly rousing awake on the couch beside the bed.

"Time for breakfast. Let's go."

Believing it's still too early, Adalind glanced to the clock. Discovering that it's only 7AM, she complained. "Hey, it's still early." She wanted to sleep more.

"Yeah, but we have lives outside dealing with the two of you," Kelly said. "So it's either you have your queries before my parents leave or you can wait till later tonight."

"Can't they just call it leave today?" It was Nick who had asked.

"Can't do. Dad has a very important meeting with the Secretary of Defense while Mom probably has some clients to attend. Just to let you guys know, my parent's careers aren't actually as light as the ones you two have anymore."

"Why? What are our jobs now?" Again, it was Nick who asked.

"On the surface, Dad is Portland PD's Chief of Police. Covertly, he's a Consultant for the Government especially to their covert agencies like the Hadrian Wall. Mom, on the other hand is Portland's DA. She also has her own Law Firm."

Hearing Kelly's narrative, Adalind's mouth widely gaped. "I'm the DA?"

"Chief of Police, Government Consultant?" So was Nick.

"Not yet but yeah," Kelly replied. "Anyway, breakfast now. Chop chop." And then he exits the room.

She and Nick momentarily glanced to each other and then followed Kelly. However, when they arrived to the kitchen, the only thing that greets them was Diana. Her arms folded above her chest. Her mood a little foul. The table is completely barren.

"Hey, where's the food?" Kelly asked.

"Mom said she asked you to refill the supplies because I'm going home." Diana glared at Kelly. "Then, why is it that my kitchen is empty?"

"Uhmm…" Kelly scratched his head and laugh uncomfortably. "I forgot."

Diana clenched her teeth as her glare to her brother intensifies. "Mom's right. You're goofing around too much with your girlfriend."

"It's quality time," Kelly argued. "And she knows a lot about Wesens too. She helps me with my training especially when Dad doesn't have the time."

"Yeah yeah fine." Diana rolled her eyes. "But we don't have food here. We'll have to go to the other one."

When Kelly leads the way again for them as he follows Diana, Nick asked, "Where are we going now and what happened back there?"

"The house has two kitchens," Kelly answered then explained, "Diana is studying Law but she's also a Professional Chef. Two years ago, she won a national cooking contest so Dad gifted her with her own kitchen which is near our rooms. I was supposed to refill her supplies since she's coming home but as you can see, I forgot to do it."

"Ahhhhhh!" Five minutes later. They passed through the living room and opened the door of the house's other kitchen. As the first one to enter, Diana suddenly screamed.

Jerked by the sudden scream, Adalind's attention immediately focused on whatever Diana saw in front of them. And her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets.

On the dining table, her future-self had her butt firmly pinned onto its edge. Her top had been long ripped apart, revealing her twin peaks. Meanwhile, an alpha male stood in front of her, also topless and is feasting on her flesh.

This alpha male is naturally future Nick Burkhardt.

"Oh my god!" Their children simultaneously exclaimed.

"Whoa!" They jumped like cats whose tails were stepped on. They scrambled to arrange themselves. Her future-self tried and miserably failed to cover her bust with her ripped clothing.

"What are you all doing here!?" Future Adalind screamed. Her cheeks deep red especially when she saw that she and Nick were also there. Her husband's frame had long shielded her bareness from their gazes after he picked his shirt from the floor and handed it over to her.

"Seriously you two, on the food," Diana said with disgust.

"Oh God, this is going to sting," Kelly disgustingly remarked too. "Diana, give me something that can make me unsee that."

"I'll drink one too!"

"All of you get out!" Future Nick growled and without any argument, they left and closed the kitchen's door.

* * *

A few minutes later after that commotion, Nick, Adalind, and their future kids are finally inside the kitchen, eating the meal Diana prepared.

"Are they always like that?" Nick asked Kelly. Until now, he still couldn't shake that image out of his head and he probably never would.

"Well, let's just say that you'll find it odd that I don't have a dozen more siblings."

At this same time, after rushing to their bedroom to arrange their clothings, their future selves returned and joined them.

"Sorry about that." Future Adalind said.

"Just hold back a little, please," Diana reprimanded. "As you might have noticed already, there are more people staying in this house right now."

Adalind blushed and embarrassingly smiled.

At that moment, Nick's future-self's phone rings. "Hello…Okay, I'll be there." Hanging up, he said to Adalind, "The Secretary of Defense is here. I have to go."

"Alright." His wife nodded.

He then kissed and embraced her. "I'll be home by lunch. We'll figure something out by then. For now," he looked at him and Adalind. "Just help them with everything they needed."

"We'll take care of it, Dad." Diana assured.

With a final look at them, 2031 Nick Burkhardt left.

"I still have some time," sitting at the head of the table, future Adalind said. "So Nick, Adalind, last night, my husband and I had a talk. For all the questions plaguing you right now. About us, about our children, and our lives now. Just ask, I'll answer all of it."

"Why you?" Nick immediately asked. "Why did I, he, marry you? What happened between me and Juliette?" Nick had been agitating to ask these questions. He badly wanted some answers.

And what he got are these harsh answers. First, he cheated on Juliette with Adalind and second, she dumped Juliette for Adalind. However, it wasn't Adalind who imparted these answers. It was his future son, Kelly. And though Older Adalind and Diana clarified that those are simply the harsh and extremely shortened version of what actually happened, the mentioned were the cores of what transpired that lead to his relationship and marriage with Adalind.

"Seriously!?" The younger Adalind exclaimed. Finding it extremely amusing. "And you're saying that he'd also done it out of his own freewill. No spells or potions involved?"

Older Adalind and her two kids nodded halfheartedly. "There were some tricks involved of course but for the most part, yeah. No one forced him."

"Wow, I must be very charming," Adalind looked at Nick.

"Dad said that for starters, you're better in bed," Diana said.

"Diana!?" Older Adalind exclaimed, scolding her daughter.

"Alright! All of you! Stop!" Nick exclaimed.

Adalind laughed but the Older Adalind scolded her too. "Stop that, you're being silly."

"Well, I'm pissed at him," Adalind argued. "Wouldn't hurt tormenting him a little."

"Pissed? Is it because he took your powers?" Older Adalind then woged and it wasn't just a small woge but the full one given that Adalind who became a normal human now will not be able to see it if she didn't. This shocked both Nick and Adalind. The Adalind of this period is still a Hexenbeist, implying that at some point, she regained her powers.

"I-I," Adalind stuttered. "I got it back?"

The Older Adalind then retracted back to her human form. "In a bloody way but yes." She said then continued, "But here's the thing, a few years from where you're from, you wouldn't hesitate to get rid of this power for him," she glanced at Nick. "And that remains true until now."

"And he's fine with that?" Adalind asked, glancing from the Older Adalind to him then back.

"Oh please!" Diana abruptly scoffed before Older Adalind could reply. "They're having sex with her in full woge!"

"WHAT!?" He and Adalind simultaneously exclaimed to Diana's comment. In fact, it wasn't just them who were shock knowing that fact. Even the Older Adalind – "DIANA!?" – is shock to find out that Diana actually knows about it.

"Unfortunately seen it once. It was in the old house. I was four. They thought I was sleeping."

"You saw that!?" Older Adalind exclaimed, a cry muffled by her palms that she now cover to her face due to sheer embarrassment. "Oh my god!"

"It's an 'ew' because it was my parents that are involved," Kelly commented abruptly after Diana's revelation. "But I can relate. The full woging during the 'ah' times despite the less savory view were very satisfying."

"What is he talking about?" Nick asked.

Diana explained. "He took a lot of from you plus influence of Oedipus Complex. All the girls he'd dated including his current girlfriend are all Hexenbeister."

* * *

"Well, that worked out just fine." Kelly said to her and their Mom the moment the younger selves of his parents left the kitchen to look around right after that embarrassing sharing of info.

"With that, Dad of 2011 won't be asking questions for a while," Diana agreed.

"You did go overboard I little there though, Di," Kelly added and their mother glared at her.

Diana ignored them.

Twisting the facts of their family history for a little bit to make it very embarrassing for the 2011 versions of their parents was all planned out from the very beginning by their parents themselves.

They have two reasons. First was to spare both of them especially the 2011 Nick Burkhardt of the premature heartache regarding his mother and his ex-girlfriend Juliette especially that the truth was he witnessed losing them both in the same night, while for the second reason, it was meant for her little brother's, Kelly's, sake.

Here's the thing: Kelly's girlfriend is Eve. The reborn-identity of Juliette, their Dad's ex.

This might look and sound very awful but it's actually not the scenario that those who knew their story but haven't seen them for a long time would immediately interpret.

No. Kelly is not dating a woman who looked old enough to be his mother, though chronologically she's as old as theirs parents. But it was due to a special series of circumstances that chasing Eve and then dating her becomes possible for her younger brother.

After their return from the Mirror dimension 14 years ago, Eve disappeared to resume her work for the Hadrian's Wall along with their Aunt Trubel but unknown to them, she had also started to act as the Burkhardt Family's protector from the shadows. During those earlier years, Kelly was oblivious of her existence and her former relationship with their Dad. He'd seen her during his infant and toddler years but he was still too young to remember.

But then when he first saw her during his 10th birthday when she decided to pay them a visit, Kelly developed an instant crush on her. Initially, they dismissed this as mere effect of Oedipus Complex given that Eve is also a Hexenbeist like their Mom, not to mention that Eve's appearance, the same appearance of Juliette was Nick Burkhardt's type, a preference in women Kelly had most likely got from him.

However, the succeeding years turned out to be otherwise. Turning 14 when his hormones fully kicked in, his feelings for her graduated from a simple crush. He became obsessed with her. Still, things remain discreet between them, Kelly remain discreet towards her, a part which is due to her history with their parents including the fact that she should have been Kelly's mother if it was actually her with their Dad in that room that afternoon of their Uncle Monroe and Aunt Rosalee's wedding

Or so they thought.

They interpreted it all wrong. As it turns out, Kelly could not care less of who Eve is or who she used to be or if his father used to have a relationship with her, he would still have pounced at her regardless.

It was actually the gap in their age. As long as Eve is a middle-aged woman pushing to her 50s, she will always look at Kelly as a kid, as the son she would have and Kelly knew this.

So when that incident happened that removed the main inhibition, Kelly didn't waste a single second and finally chased after her.

It was when Eve was on a mission against a serial killer Wesen later identified to be the supposedly extinct Wesen called _Cronosian_. And because it was believed to be extinct, no one among the modern Grimms and Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen knew a thing about it. The archives from their Dad's family have information but its retrieval came late and Eve was already deep in the mission.

Turns out, a Cronosian is a Wesen that eats time from living beings. But that 'time' they eat is not the time a living being is still about to spend like their remaining longevity. Instead, what they eat is the time one person had spent. This is the reason why they'd gone extinct in the first place. Kehrseites and Wesens that became aware of this hunted them down to have their youths retained unaware that the more time a Cronosian eat, the more they lose their sanity.

The Cronosian in Eve's mission was a result of a foolish Kehrseite who had turned the poor guy into his own fountain of youth. It backfired after years of repeated usage and the Cronosian turned insane and went into a rampage.

Eve alongside Trubel managed to eliminate the rampaging Wesen but during the process, Eve was bitten and more than 30 years of her spent life was eaten. When it was all over, she reverted to her 16 year old self but still with all of her powers as a Hexenbeist and the memories of her nearly 50 years of life.

Their parents and their family friends found this very awkward, seeing her in that age. But for Kelly, whose obsession towards her was growing at a terrifying pace each day, it was the long-awaited opportunity.

The reason for inhibition was gone.

Since then he started to woo her, chase her, dismissing her, his parents, and everyone else's including Eve's disgust and disapprovals. He didn't care. Especially when his effort was actually resulting to Eve's walls to crumble bit by bit. That he's actually winning her.

Still, Eve remained firm that romance no longer fancy her especially if it's coming from her former self's ex-boyfriend's son above all.

But she severely underestimated her brother. He is not just Nick Burkhardt's son. He's also the spawn of Adalind Schade and he got a lot of the dark temperament of the Schade's side. Most does not know, even their parents, how Kelly succeeded into having Eve but Diana knew. Eve told her.

Similar onto how Nick Burkhardt and Adalind Schade's romance began, it all started with a Schade forcing its self into the unwilling side.

They fought. Kelly forcing his kisses and embraces to her while Eve resisted, fighting him back with all she got. Unfortunately, not only was her brother revealed himself to be stronger than her but her resistance against his feeling were all inferior to a half-hearted. By merely the third time, Kelly succeeded into embracing her, all of her walls crumbled and she surrendered to him.

It was a night of intense passion as Eve told her. She said that he brother had brought her to heights she never knew existed and it trapped her, making her extremely dependent.

Since then, those two had been inseparable and Kelly is quite a possessive type – another bad side of the gene he got from being a Schade – and hated it a lot when other men eyed his girl. And that will include the 2011 version of their Dad who is still in love with Juliette. They didn't want 2011 Nick Burkhardt to unintentionally push a button and upset Kelly. They all know how bad it goes whenever that happened.

Suddenly…

_***RINGTONE!***_

…Kelly's phone rang. And responding to this, Kelly jumped off the kitchen counter where he sat and motioned to rush to the front door. "Eve's here!" Kelly announced enthusiastically. "I'm going now. Bye Mom, bye Di."

* * *

"Hey babe!" Kelly said as he jumped to Eve's her car and leaned forward to kiss her.

"Down boy!" Eve reprimanded, breaking their kiss when he began to pull her closer to him and run his hands all over her front.

"Oh come on," he groaned and tried to kiss her again.

"Stop it young man. You're almost late for school and later today, you're going home early. No staying at my place."

"But…" Kelly tried to argue.

"No!" She stopped him. "Your Mom called me repeatedly last night and she's starting to get pissed with you nearly living in my place. Remember, they're barely tolerating that you're with me and I don't want to push them to the point where they won't anymore."

Kelly rolled his eyes and pulled away from her, "Fine. There's stuff to do at home anyway and Diana might need some help."

Eve breathed deeply, her expression softened and a smile curved from her lips. She held Kelly's hand and asked, "Want to talk about it?"

Kelly nodded. The car revved to life and Kelly explained the crazy thing that transpired last night as they drove off.

* * *

Back to the Burkhardt Mansion, Older Adalind finally left for some of her clients. Leaving only him, Adalind and Diana who's busy cooking in the kitchen. Then an hour later, Rosalee arrived and along with her was Monroe.

"Monroe!" Nick immediately greeted them.

"Nick?" Monroe gaped, checking his appearance from head to toe. "No no," he shook his head. "You're not our Nick but wow, so it's really true. From the past eh?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," he replied softly.

"I have to say, I missed that hair," he chuckled and then gave attention next to Adalind. "And you…uhm…I'm not gonna comment with you right now."

Adalind scowled at him.

"So what's up?" Monroe returned his attention to Nick. "Any plans yet?"

Nick gave a quick glance to Adalind before replying, "Nothing for now."

Monroe noticed this and leaned forward to say softly to him. "Dude, it might not look like it now but she's a great wife and an outstanding mother. You have no idea, at least not yet, how happy she makes you."

"Seeing how my future self is with her, I can completely agree," Nick grimly implied.

"Oh, Rosalee told me what happened last night," Monroe said apologetically. "Sorry about that, dude. He's just overly protective when it comes to his family. 'A silent tiger will be mistaken as a cat' he strongly believes of that now."

"Shoot first and ask questions never. Is that it?"

"Hmm…yeah, sort of like that."

Nick gave a bitter smile then changed the subject. "Enough about that," he said. "How about you? Heard you and Rosalee got married and have three kids now."

"Yeah, yeah, we got married…"

The rest of the morning expired with Nick listening to future Monroe's stories. He's still the same, he talks a lot, giving him no leeway to ask anything related to him. About things he doesn't know yet. But then, taken from what he was told this morning, he didn't dare to do so. He fears that he might hear something he might not like again. Knowing the future is actually scary. He knows that now. Therefore, the entirety of the conversation was purely about Monroe and his family.

Then, keeping his promise during his morning departure, his future self returned for lunch and his wife is with him.

"Hey Roe, how's it going?" Future Nick greeted to Monroe. Older Adalind is right behind him.

"It's great man." Monroe replied. "It's kind of fun telling these two the stories of my life their future selves had actually witnessed themselves."

"Everything great so far?" Future Nick asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Totally!"

Future Nick nodded.

"By the way, why don't you and Rosalee stay for lunch," Older Adalind proposed. "Diana is cooking for us."

"Hell yes!" Monroe exclaimed. "I'm not gonna decline the cooking of a Professional. Can the triplets come too? I'm gonna call my Mom to bring them."

"That would be wonderful," said the Older Adalind.

"But before that," Monroe suddenly said, looking both at Nick and his future self. "I think it's a good idea for the two of you to finally have a talk."

* * *

"We're going there later," Nick replied, giving a quick glance to his past self.

"Dude," Monroe whispered then sort of dragged him away before saying softly. "I mean talk to him now. I mean, he's kind of freaked out about you. Alright, I know about the plan of dragging this out and sending them back before they could ask more questions. Diana told me. But, he thinks you harbor some great hatred towards him and you know, he's confused why."

"Alright, alright, I get it."

Returning to them, Nick said to the past version of his self, "Follow me, I'm gonna show you something."

Nick immediately turned and walked towards the door connecting to the house's archive and Beist Lab. Completely unconcerned whether his past self will follow him or not.

He did though. And with just the two of them inside the lab, Nick went to a safe behind a portrait and retrieved a tennis ball-sized, pearl-like, sphere. He's overly hesitant of handing it over to him, entrusting it to him. But he truly want to convey to him, make him understand why he acts this way towards him then doing this is necessary.

"What's this?" He asked when he handed the sphere to him.

"Press it against your forehead," he ordered, "and you'll find out."

His past self did and sphere began to emit a golden glow.

* * *

The moment Nick did what his future self ordered, the sphere flashed a blinding golden glow and the next moment, Nick saw several events shared between him and Adalind. However, these events are alien to him and the weirder part, judging from his and Adalind's ages in these scenes, they both appear to be in their teen and young adult years.

The season looked like to be during a summer. And though he doesn't remember such events, he's aware which stage of his life it was. It was during his 22nd year, which means that Adalind is around 18.

It was on a beach, he was working as a part-time lifeguard when he first saw the teenage Adalind in her two-piece bikini. There was immediately an attraction at first sight and it didn't take long before he made the first step and ask her out.

From then, it was a tale of blossoming love. They were together always to the point that they were nearly inseparable.

"_What are you doing?"_ Adalind woke up with only the blanket wrapped around her body. They'd just spent a night of lovemaking and she woke up finding him sitting at the end of bed with his sketchbook at hand.

"_Sorry," _Nick said, smiling shyly to her._ "I couldn't stop myself and started drawing you. I hope you don't mind."_

She crawled over to him and looked at the nearly finished sketching of her_. "Why apologize?"_ She teased. _"You already did more than just look." _And then lean closer to press her lips against his.

Everything fades to black after that last scene and Nick's consciousness opened to find himself once again back inside the Beist Lab.

"What was that?" Panting, he immediately asked to his future self.

"Your memories. Adalind's too. From 27 years ago. The real first time that you two met."

"Wha-what? I don't understand."

"The eye-contact back then in front of the coffee shop wasn't the first. You met her 7 years earlier. She loved you, gave you everything, and in return you promised to cherish her for the rest of your life. However, she was a Hexenbeist and you were a potential Grimm with a notorious Grimm for an Aunt. Aunt Marie thought it was too dangerous. Even if you didn't become a Grimm, being associated with a Hexenbeist, a Wesen, will make you an easy target against her. So she commissioned the help of another Hexenbeist to extract away your and Adalind's memories, to make you two forget each other, and put it inside that Memory Orb you're holding."

His future self's revelation extremely shocked Nick. He knew and loved Adalind way before he even meet Juliette? That's just crazy!

"When I realized how much I love Adalind, I started to resent you. That part of my life who wasted his days hating her when he was supposed to be protecting her, understanding her. And that Memory Orb arriving in my front door with Aunt Marie's will and confession just made it worse. I failed her." Future Nick growled, his eyes turning red. "You failed her. And for that, there will always be a part of me who will never stop hating you."

Nick suddenly felt that he could not breathe. His head start to spun. "Was-was that all. Was that all there is in here."

Future Nick shook his head. "The content of the Memory Orb can only be unlocked by the purity of your Grimm bloodline. You aren't there yet." He explained. "And I supposed since it only took you a minute that you only seen up to your first night together."

"How far…" he stuttered. "How far did we go?"

"We were supposed to get married that day when Aunt Marie took her away from me."


	4. CHAPTER 4 – The First Distortion(4)

**CHAPTER 4 – The First Distortion(4)**

Later that evening…

"Oh my god!" Eve gasped when she and Kelly peeked through the gap of the door and she saw Adalind talking with the younger versions of her and Nick. "They really are here."

They both pulled away and close the door.

"You wanna go there?" Kelly asked.

"I rather not," was her reply. "That version of your Dad is still in love with Juliette. I don't want to show my face there and trigger an awkward air."

"At worst, he will just think that you're her daughter which is true though in a weird way," Kelly argued.

"And then he will ask 'How's my Mom?' and 'Where is she?'. I'm not gonna volunteer myself into that kind of conversation."

Kelly frowned. "Hey, is my Dad still affecting you? I'm getting jealous here."

"Of course not!" Eve defended. "It's just that the Nick I met after I was reformatted was a Nick that had moved on from Juliette thanks to your mother. But this one still belongs to her. I don't want to confront that man that my former self failed. It makes me feel guilty that I'm happy right now even though I don't deserve it thanks to her."

Kelly attempt to say something but, "Eve, Kelly," a familiar voice suddenly said from behind them.

"Yay!" Both of them made a start. It was Nick.

"What are you two snooping around there?"

"Um…hehehe, sorry Dad, I was just showing Eve about our special guests." Kelly explained.

"Then why just stay here? Go in there and personally meet them."

"I don't want to," Eve said. "It'll be awkward. You know…meeting that man."

Nick glanced to the door behind them, then sighed. "By the way Eve, I need to talk to you."

"Dad?" Kelly expression immediately turned concern.

"It's nothing too serious, don't worry," Nick reassured his son. "There's just something I wanted to talk with her about."

Nick then told Kelly to join his Mom and sister and then Nick brought Eve back to the garage.

"What is it?" Eve started.

"How's my son?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm asking how's my son? How's he'd been doing lately?"

"Why are you asking me that? He's your kid."

"This stage of a kid's life, their friends would often know something that their parents don't. In Kelly's case, that's you."

She isn't just his girlfriend. More than that, she's his guardian and best friend.

"I just want to be filled with whatever Adalind and I might have missed."

"It's nothing much," Eve said.

"I'm not asking beyond the obvious. Just tell me what you can."

"Well, he's happy, adventurous. Itching for fight and action, just like his old man. Heroic, willing to save anyone in need but as mischievous as his mother. Things you already knew."

"Anything else," Nick further probed.

At this query, Eve momentarily turned silent.

"He's getting too serious about us," she finally said after some serious hesitation. "There are times he would blabber stuffs like 5 years from now, marriage and settling down. And believe me, it disturbs me just as much as you do."

"It actually don't," Nick admitted. An opposite response to what Eve expected. "That's not my concern."

Eve frowned. "Then what's with all the probing then? I noticed it's becoming habitual lately."

"Just as what you just said," Nick explained. "His growing in age and is starting to envision what he wants in his life. And since you're a part of it, I just want to make sure that neither of you will make the same relationship mistakes we did with ours."

"With Juliette you mean," she corrected, glaring at him. "That bloody lesson is already learned and I don't have the slightest intention of repeating her mistakes. Now, if you have nothing else to say, I have to go."

Eve started towards the exit but then Nick raised a question which stopped her. "One last question."

"What!?"

"How much do you really love my son?"

"What?" Eve was startled. "Asking that all of the sudden."

"I never tried to ask before but seeing my younger self and what had become with his relationship with Juliette, I couldn't help but ask now."

"For the hundredth time, I'm not Juliette!"

"And for the hundredth time too, this is about my son. Juliette or not, you're not exactly the poster girl of a good relationship. So pardon me if I'm being overly meticulous."

Eve gritted her teeth. "More than my life!" She exploded. "When I returned as Eve, no one gives a damn about me. Everyone, including you just gauge how helpful I can be. Just a give and take, a matter of usefulness, nothing more. But when I first held him. When Adalind let me held him for the first time and his eyes just stared at me with complete trust. Those eyes that just ask me to hold him. All my walls broke down and from that moment on I swore with my life that I will give everything to protect him and everyone else he loved. That's how much I loved him. Unfortunately, I didn't account that sooner, I will also start to love him as a man."

* * *

Unknown by those two, there was someone standing behind the door and had been listening to their conversation. This someone is now covering her mouth with her palm, utterly shock to what she'd just heard.

This someone is none other than the Adalind from 2011.

"What are you doing here?" Diana suddenly appeared from the door connecting to the living room and asked. Then when she glanced to the gap at the door towards the garage and then look at Adalind's expression, he face suddenly turned pale.

"Eve is Juliette?" Adalind asked.

"What the hell?" Diana grabbed her elbow and dragged her to another room. "You're not supposed to know that."

"He's dating his father's ex-girlfriend and all of you are letting them? Are you all out of your mind?!"

"Oh please! No one likes their relationship even Eve herself. " Diana rolled her eyes and explained. "But this is about Kelly. The moment he sets his mind to this relationship we're all powerless to stop him."

"Why?!" Adalind exclaimed. "Don't tell me he's threatening you all with suicide or something."

"No!" Diana pointed out. "Things could have been simpler if that's actually the case. Unfortunately, the deal with Kelly is far more complicated."

"What are you talking about?"

"Damn it!" Diana stomped and grumbled. "Why does this have to fall on me? Come on, come with me."

"Where are you taking me?" Adalind demanded.

"To answer your question."

"What's going on?" Future Nick asked when he saw Diana dragging her.

"I know you know that she heard you and Eve," she countered. "I wasn't actually quiet when I reprimanded her."

"Where are you taking her?" He still asked, though it seems that he had a complete idea where.

"To that place," she replied, starting her car. "To give her a reason to shut up."

"It's late. Can't you just do this tomorrow?" He said looking at Diana and then to her.

"We have other things to settle tomorrow and I'm not gonna let her eavesdropping kick us off the course."

"Fine," Future Nick sighed, "but be careful."

Diana nodded and her car left the garage. Diana drove towards the heart of Portland. However, Adalind noticed that the deeper the go, the quieter it gets.

'_Weird,' _she thought. _'Wasn't this side of the town supposed to be busiest?'_

"Where are you taking me?"

Adalind asked to Diana but she didn't answer. Fifteen minutes later, they finally stopped and Adalind gasped sharply when she peeked outside the car. What welcome her sight were rubbles. Tall buildings collapsed. Roads shattered. And above all, there's a dark miasma shrouding the entire area.

However, that's not the most shocking part. What was terrifyingly astounding was that she's familiar with the place. This was supposed to be a business district. From the time where she's from, this is one of the most developed part of Portland but now, it's a ghost town.

Both of them got out of the car and Adalind immediately asked, "What happened here?"

Diana still didn't respond, instead, she instructed her to follow her. She did and they then stood in front of a red line painted on the ground. "Try putting your hand beyond this line."

Diana finally spoke and Adalind complied to her instruction. She extended her hand beyond the red line. "Ouch!" She exclaimed and immediately pulled her hand away.

The wind beyond that red line was sharp, like needles stabbing her skin. And aside from that, the gravity too beyond the red line was pretty heavy. At least twice in her estimation.

"Seriously, what's going on here? What happened to this place?"

"The reason why Kelly with Eve is being tolerated," Diana answered vaguely.

"I…I…" she shook her head, "I don't understand."

Diana sighed and started, "It happened almost 12 years ago. Kelly was 4. Mom, Dad, me and Kelly, we were all in this place the day it was levelled to a pile of rubbles and it was all my fault."

"Why, what happened?"

"Back then, there was a Wesen terrorist organization called Black Claw. Supposedly, two years earlier, they should have been destroyed. Unfortunately, there were still remnants of them and that day, 12 years ago, those remaining of them made a simultaneously attacks to different major cities all over the globe including here in Portland."

At this point, Diana's expression turned complicated. "It was very manageable. It should have been easy, dealing with them. It was a surprise attack but Dad, Mom and me were there. With our line-up, it should have ended without any problem. However, I let my guard down."

Diana pulled up the hem of her shirt, exposing her scarred left stomach. "I was stabbed by one of them and Kelly saw the entire thing. The attacker also tried to lunge at him before I could kill it. I nearly died but Dad was there, he has that staff, I was saved. Problem solved." She then turned silent, tense. "But not for Kelly.

"Even though things turned out well, that mistake of mine had already struck my brother's state of mind. He woged, for the first time that day. The Zauberbeist with the bloodline of a Grimm."

Diana closed her eyes and hold Adalind's hand. The moment she did, Adalind gasped and saw a scene of destructions akin to the end of the world. There were earthquakes, tornadoes, buildings disintegrating, and meteors falling down from the sky. People, young and old, human and Wesen, all screaming and running for their lives.

And, in the middle of these mayhems, Adalind saw a little boy being soothed by her and Nick.

"_Kelly, Kelly, honey," _Adalind said repeatedly. _"It's okay now."_

"_DIANA!" _The little boy Kelly continued to wail and the destruction around them intensifies. _"WAHHHH!"_

"_Kelly, I'm okay," _Diana said, cupping her brother's cheeks. _"See, see, I'm perfectly fine. Please baby brother, stop crying."_

"Oh my god!" When the vision ended, Adalind flinched back, panting for air. Her trembling eyes, now full of fear and understanding, stared at Diana.

"Now, you understand. My brother can't be that upset again. When he becomes emotionally unstable, this happens. And it's not just the destruction. The pollution it left behind is pretty serious too. Since that day, this place becomes inhabitable. The gravity here is three times heavier and the wind is like needles. Stay in there and you'll die within a day."

"Oh my god," she panted, looking at the remnants of destruction that surrounds her. "Kelly did all of these?"

Diana nodded. "Mom and Dad did well parenting him. He's innately a sweet and kind kid. So it was easy giving him discipline while giving him as well everything he might want. But when it goes down to the non-material, priceless stuffs like love and relationships. It gets complicated. It's fine if it gets awry on its own, he had heartbreaks before. Eve is not his first girlfriend. But no one should impede how his heart will flow. It's a taboo. A taboo that if broken will procure this."

* * *

When Eve returned home to her apartment, she was still in a very foul mood. The banter with Nick was still echoing inside her head. However, it was not Nick's unease with her relationship with Kelly that keeps her in this sour state. Rather, it was the reality that she was once Juliette striking her again.

When she was born, the brainwashing of HW had helped her establish her identity using Juliette as a foundation. However, it doesn't mean that she didn't do what Juliette did. To Nick, to his mother, to Adalind who was pregnant with Kelly back then, to their friends. Regardless of who she truly is, this body of hers is burdened with the greatest sin ever done to the Burkhardts and she can never change that no matter what.

"Why do I have to be you?" She fumed in rage when she looked at the mirror and image who looked back was not the current young her but that dark haired witch who betrayed Nick 16 years ago. "It's not fair. I want a life!"

During her travel with Nick to the Mirror Dimension, she told Nick that happy doesn't interest her anymore. It was true back then. For what Juliette did, it's only fair to live the rest of her life atoning.

But as the old saying goes 'time and change beats everything' even conviction.

When Kelly loved her and she realized that she also loved him, that conviction of atoning for the rest of her life for Juliette's sins faded. Since then it started to feel unfair.

When Juliette died, she didn't ask to be born. She shouldn't have existed in the first place. But she did. She took over when Juliette died. She had nothing back then except her missions. But when that disappeared, she needed to find something else that will give meaning to her birth, to her existence. So she diverted it to hunting the Zerstörer. But when that too ended, she became empty again. That's not until she first held Kelly. That sweet, mischievous little boy.

She saw a new path that day when she held that child and she promised, with her life, that the meaning of her existence will be to protect him. Him and his happiness.

However, it gets complicated when it became romantic. That's because when it did, something in her that she thought she had long discarded returned.

Desire.

The most basic component of a living being. The essence of wanting something for one's self. And what she desire is life and everything else along that package. Not as Juliette's reformat or replacement or cleaner of her mess. But as her, as Eve. A life that's hers and hers alone. A life she can share with Kelly.

"I'm not gonna rot cleaning up your mess!" She roared and grabbed the first thing she can get her hands into and throw it towards the mirror. The mirror shattered along with the image of that damn witch.

"One day, one day I'm gonna find a way to completely get rid of you," she said with conviction. "You'll be gone from my life, from their lives. I'm gonna erase you one way or another!"

* * *

The next day…

"So, what do you two wants to talk about?" Adalind asked when after breakfast, the younger versions of her and Nick asked to have a talk.

In the living room, present at the moment are them, her, Nick, their kids, and then Monroe and Rosalee who both just arrived. They settled some initial plans yesterday and are about to tell 2011 Nick and Adalind about it this morning but the two beat them to it as they open up first.

"We…" 2011 Nick started, glancing momentarily to her younger self, "Adalind and I had a talk last night. About what we're supposed to do and expect while we're here and…we sort of come up with a decision."

"And that is?" Adalind asked.

"First," 2011 Nick started, "I know you all are trying to withhold details from us or at least, you're seeing to it that we won't ask. Making me embarrass yesterday for example."

Everyone diverted their gazes. A notion of guilt. Well, except for Nick. Her husband on the other hand, couldn't care any less.

"And I understand," 2011 Nick continued, glancing then to 2011 Adalind, "We both understand. The path is filled with bloodshed I believe."

"We're not sure how long you guys will stay here," Diana said. "The history is too horrible. My birth and Kelly's birth now for example. When we came out, people were dying all around us. It's not something that we would like to share to those who will just going to experience it once they get back especially that they're our parents. Even though you two will likely forget everything you saw here once you've returned, we don't want you two to carry the horror of the future while you're around."

"What makes you think that we'll forget our time here?" 2011 Adalind asked.

"The continuity of the timeline," Diana replied. "Time and time travel are very delicate matters. Just think about this: you two," her palms pointed at younger Nick and Adalind, "came from the past. 20 years in the future and yet, you," she pointed now to her and Nick, "are still here. I'm still here. Kelly is still here. Which means, that both of you were successfully returned to your original time which lead to the existence of this current world.

Except for Nick and Kelly, all of them nodded.

"Now Mom, Dad, I will ask you two. Do any one of you remember travelling into the future?"

Adalind and her husband shook their heads. "No."

"Which means that when we returned them to their original time, we erased their memories or their memories were erased by the travel itself. Bottomline, things had gone the way it should be given that this future of theirs is still intact."

"So we won't be able to do anything even if we know the future," 2011 Nick said.

"Another recipe for despair, I believe," Diana implied.

"I won't allow you too," then Nick added with a murderous glare, making 2011 Adalind flinch.

"I figured out that much already," 2011 Nick said. "That's why we decided to arrange our stays here your way."

"We won't ask about the process, the history," 2011 Adalind continued. "Instead, we decided we will just admire the life it created. Because to be honest, we both like what we're seeing so far."

* * *

Last night while he was unable to sleep, Nick had already considered what Diana had just explained. He and Adalind still exist in this timeline, which means that eventually, their displacement was corrected and they returned to the past but without any memory of what they saw here. He thought about this because if that wasn't the case then the future that welcomed them when they arrived here would have been the future written based on the night that he and Adalind disappeared during their fight at the Bremen Ruins. Diana and Kelly wouldn't have existed and the 2031 versions of them wouldn't have been here as well.

That's why he asked his self this: Does he really want to know the future that awaits him?

Especially that he noticed too that everyone are making the effort to tell him very little about it while his future self is completely unwilling to tap into it as well.

Seeing the person his future self had become. That man that by the smallest notion of threat to his family would without hesitation end another person's life says it all how much he'd experienced hurt and lost before he found his happiness in the arms of Adalind. Thus, the thought of knowing the future and be presented with the fact that there's nothing he could do to change any of it scares him. Plus, even if he could, he might not still do something about it because this future where everything is perfect and in place might cease to exist.

He will never let that happen. Never! And he's meeting eye to eye with his future self about it.

Even though it turns out that it would be with Adalind, this future is the best he could hope for. He's a powerful and influential existence in this timeline, thus, very few would have the thought of messing up with him and his loved ones. Also, having a Hexenbeist for a wife and having children with the strength from both sides boost the sense of security even further.

"We won't ask about the process, the history," Adalind said after he gave his piece. "Instead, we decided we will just admire the life it created. Because to be honest, we both like what we're seeing so far."

"Glad you finally see it our way," his future self said as he stood up. "Very well, you can ask everything you wanted that are within that scope. Not from me though, at least not at this time," he then glanced to his wife. "Adalind and I have plans for the day."

"Yeah, enjoy!" Kelly gleefully said to his parents.

"Where are you two going?" Nick asked.

"Today is their anniversary," it was Diana who answered.

* * *

When future Adalind and Nick left to celebrate their anniversary, their conversation resumed. The married couple never said a thing of their plans, probably because as evidenced to her future self's surprise, Nick and their kids had probably planned this day without telling future Adalind anything.

"It's a surprise until Mom sees it later but Dad bought her a yacht," Kelly revealed to them.

"Really!?" Monroe and Rosalee exclaimed while Adalind and Nick were both struck speechless.

_A yacht!? _Nick bought her a yacht!?

"Oh my goodness, Nick is really going all out this year!" Monroe continued.

"That's nothing, Dad had been hinting that he will buy her an island and name it after her on their anniversary next year," said Diana.

"Uhm…excuse me excuse me, all of you." Adalind called for their attentions after Diana gave her piece. "It's been bothering me since I'd arrived and it's bothering me again now that you mentioned a yacht. Kelly told me that your Nick built this house for his wife and it's obvious too that he has tendencies of spoiling her with luxurious things. Last time I checked, you mentioned that he's Chief of Police moonlighting as a government consultant but even then that doesn't explain the nigh unlimited money he's spending. So tell me, where did he get all those money."

"Yeah, I'm wondering about that too," Nick joined. "Did I found a goldmine or something?"

Both of them demanded for answers.

"Oh about that," Monroe lightly scratched her head. "You see…Nick you're…" he breathed deeply, "Nick, you're a Royalty."

Both their jaws dropped. "Wait what!?" Adalind exclaimed.

"What!?" Nick as well. "What are you talking about!? I know everyone in my family, I don't have any connection to any royalty!"

"And yet, your family tree on your paternal side stopped on great-Grandma Esme," said Kelly. "No, to be exact since Grandpa Reed is an 'orphan', it actually ends with him. Lots of gaps to fill in the family tree if you ask me."

"I believe this is how you were told about your paternal side of the family," Rosalee started. "Your Dad, Reed Burkhardt, is an orphan. When he was one, he was adopted by your Grandmother, Esmeralda Burkhardt. Then, he met your Mom decades later and they have you."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, that's all there is with my Father's life. Are you all telling me there's more to that?"

Rosalee sighed deeply. "It's a lie. Aside from his life with you and your Mom, the rest are made up, engineered by your Grandma Esmeralda herself."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your Grandma Esmeralda is your biological Grandmother. She's your Dad's real Mom."

Upon those words, Rosalee told them the story of Nick's paternal family.

Decades ago, Esmeralda Burkhardt or rather with her real name, **Erecia Valeska** was a noblewoman betrothed to the crown prince. She was not oblivious to the Wesen Community in which the family of her future husband is involved with. However, when she was absorbed to her husband's family, what was unveiled to her there was far more terrifying than the existence of the Wesens. And what terrifies her more is that someday, her unborn son will have to shoulder that burden.

Refusing to throw her son into that kind of fate, she runs away from her husband along with their son and using their own power against them, she fabricated new identities. One process is in which she left her then infant son to an orphanage, arranging that he won't be adopted by anyone until she returned a year later, with a new face and a new identity. From then, she and her son lived their lives together with her son believing that he's adopted. In this manner, her husband's people were misled as they will first look for a single mother with a biological son. Through this, the truth was buried even until her and her son's deaths.

"Great-Grandma Esme was really good," Kelly said to Nick. "Great-Grandpa had only succeeded in finding you decades later when technology was far more advance. You know, DNA, facial recognitions and all. It was a close call for him."

"When did this happen?" Nick asked, still in half of a trance.

"From today…around 10 years ago."

Ten years ago, Nick's grandfather finally found him. And though his son was long gone, he still had a grandchild, a grandson who can succeed him.

"Which House?" Asked Adalind this time. "From which House does Nick belong?"

Kelly momentarily gave a glance to the younger version of his father and replied. "Varia. House Varia."

* * *

"House Varia!?" Adalind exclaimed upon hearing Kelly's reply. "Are you serious!?"

"What's there about this House Varia?" Nick asked. Seeing such reaction from Adalind, it's obvious that his Father's family isn't as simple as the Royal Family that he already knew.

"House Varia is the world's Box of Secrets," Adalind began to explain. "You know the story of Pandora, Epimetheus, and the box containing all the evils in the world, it's that. Except that the real Pandora and Epimetheus are not just characters in the Greek Mythology. The real them are vassals of Greece's very first Empire. Then through the years, this family expanded, beyond the Empire, beyond Greece. Until in the later eras, they took the form as one of the seven Royal Families that we know now."

During the Middle Ages, though this was just some baseless hearsays, the other 6 Royal Families suspected that it was them that convinced the Templar Knights, the 7 Grimms that sacked Constantinople, to hide the treasure they found instead of surrendering it to the Royals . However, this claim was never proven and even if it was, the other 6 will never ever dare to offend House Varia.

"Why's that?"

"Because like what she just said," Rosalee spoke this time. "House Varia is the world's Box of Secrets or the Box of Evils, the Pandora's Box. Since their founding until the present day, their purpose had been the gathering and safekeeping of all of the most powerful and dangerous truths and knowledges that could tilt the world to chaos. That's why no one dares to mess up with them because even just a tenth of what they're hiding is enough to bring Armageddon to this planet."

Nick was shock. It's no wonder that his Grandma Esme escaped with his Dad. An eons worth of accumulated knowledges and truths of that degree. No mother will wish for their son to carry that kind of burden. However, that was his Grandma. What about him? How did he…?

He momentarily froze and then his gaze met that of Rosalee and Monroe then to his future children. And upon that unspoken query, the Rosalee nodded. "10 years ago, your Grandfather was dying. Like I said, it was close call for him, he needed a successor else, House Varia will collapse along with the foulest bowels of Earth that they're hiding. And you being you, the Nick who will not run from his responsibilities, accepted his heritage. House Varia had been under you ever since."

"Is that how I…I mean, how he got that staff?" Nick asked, suddenly remembering that staff his future self wielded last night to attack and nearly kills him. Actually, he might have actually killed him and then just brought him back to life. It sounds ridiculous but that's what he believed actually happened "It's from them?"

Nick assumed but Rosalee shook her head, "No. But I think you already have an idea where that staff is from."

Nick's forehead wrinkled and said, "The keys. It's the treasure hidden by the keys, right?"

Rosalee nodded. "Not the whole of it but yes. That staff is the treasure the Templar Knights found in Constantinople. The same treasure that your ancestors, from both sides, had hidden."

Nick sighed while Adalind's eyes widened. "That's the treasure hidden by those keys? Wow, judging what it can do, the fervor the Royals are investing on it are not in vain."

"Yeah. Unfortunately for those Royals interested on it, none of them lived through the treasure hunt to see what actually it is."

"They're dead?" Adalind asked.

Rosalee nodded. "And I needn't need to say that you two had a significant contribution to that."


	5. CHAPTER 5 – The First Distortion(5)

**CHAPTER 5 – The First Distortion(5)**

2031 Nick and Adalind will be gone for three days for their anniversary. Initially, they would have taken leaves from their jobs to fulfill it but with the arrival of the most unexpected visitors from 2011, Kelly and Diana had given a very interesting suggestion to their parents.

"We will fill in for them while they're gone?" Adalind gaped when Diana dropped it to her and Nick.

"Yeah," Diana said, making a very amused expression. "You see we're now on the final details of how to bring you two back to your time. But, since it will still take us a couple more days to accomplish that plus we will still have to wait for Mom and Dad to come back in order to perform it. We thought why not put the two of you on their shoes for the remaining of your stay here. You know, for fun and sightseeing."

"I know no shit about being a DA," Adalind complained.

"So am I," so does Nick regarding being the Chief of Police now.

"And for three days," Adalind added. "That's absurd."

"We also looked," Nick paused for a bit, "not quite aged, don't you think?"

"Don't worry, we'll hold your hands all the way through."

"You're really enjoying this," Kelly remarked abruptly, slowly shaking his head.

"Oh shut up," she retorted to her brother. "Like you aren't."

"I at least pretend that I don't."

"Do we even have a say in all of these shenanigans?" Asked Adalind, interrupting the sibling's argument.

"Do you have anything else better to do?" Diana countered. When she failed to reply, Diana turned next to Nick. When he gave the same response, she said. "My thought exactly."

"Fine, fine, have it your way," Nick said, sighing in defeat. "I just want to get out of this fortress for a change. It's been days."

Due to the seriousness of their circumstances, save for the time that Diana had brought 2011 Adalind outside, their 2031 versions had forbade them from leaving their fortress of a mansion. Both of them are getting sick and tired being stuck in this place.

"Alrighty!" Diana merrily clapped her hands. "Follow my lead."

* * *

Filling the role of his future self was a lot of hardwork than Nick could have anticipated. As a homicide Detective, all he has to worry about are evidence and suspects. As a Chief of Police, his responsibilities extend now to overall public safety and political connections. The latter was the biggest pain but thankfully, Bud Wurstner, the Eisbiber repairman, turns out to be the current Mayor of Portland. In the long run, he became a member of his circle of friends and using House Varia's money and influence, his future self arranged for Bud to become the new Mayor.

"You still here?" Hank asked upon entering his office.

When he arrived in the precinct and found Hank there, he was elated knowing that he succeeded into saving him though Diana, who's beside him as an apparition, guiding him in this life, suggested to not react in such a way since it's already 20 years overdue reaction.

Another thing, Hank and Wu were already into the Wesen business. Recap from Diana, he spill the truth to Hank a few months later from when he came from and then to Wu, a year or so after Hank's. Since then, their band of mischiefs had been composed of him, Hank, Wu, Monroe, and Rosalee, with Adalind joining later on.

They are sometimes called the Scooby Gang by their children.

"Yeah, I still need to finish something," he replied.

"Aren't you supposed to fetch the wife in 30 minutes," Hank frowned.

"Tell him, 'Yeah, that's why I'm in a hurry." Diana instructed him to say which he did.

Hank just nodded.

"You have something for me?" He asked next, noting that he came here for a reason and not just to remind him of his dinner appointment with Adalind.

"Jarold was approached by an old friend and his daughter. They're Spinnetods. The daughter is about to enter the return of age in a month or so. They know you built a system for that but are hesitant to approach you directly."

The fate of the female Spinnetods was just cruel. Every 5 years, they are forced to kill in order to live normally. It's tragic enough for the woman itself but it's far more tragic for Spinnetod parents that have a daughter.

That's why when the Nick of this timeline acquired the money and power, he built several systems in Portland which aid the Wesens that are just trying to live a normal life against their racial struggles. One which is the Spinnetod Penalty.

Instead of killing random innocent people, 2031 Nick arranged a system in which during the female Spinnetods' return of age period they will be executioners for the death row convicts and the criminally insane.

They're bound to die anyway, so why not die for someone else's sake.

"I'll give the penitentiaries a call. See if they can schedule three next month."

Hank nodded and then left.

And it's scary. His partner, or rather his former partner, is not even disturbed talking about this thing. They just discussed about killing three people and Hank didn't even bat an eye. His expression remained straight the entire time like he's just asking to help his friend's kid enter a certain program or club.

"Still processing how ruthless you'd truly become?" As if reading his thoughts, Diana remarked.

Nick sighed, "I don't have 20 years like my future self."

* * *

Meanwhile, Adalind was initially having the same type of days as Nick but experienced a 180 degrees change when the afternoon came where the work on her firm started. This is the job she is familiar with and this time, she's the Boss.

When she arrived though, a male employee who is obviously new and unaware who she is tried to hit on her when she went to the vending machine. It didn't progress though beyond the rejected first invite for an after work drinking as he was dragged and reprimanded by the Supervisor.

"Are you out of your mind!?" The Supervisor exclaimed to the guy. "Do you know who that is? That's our Boss, Adalind Burkhardt!"

Adalind flinched a little being surnamed 'Burkhardt'. Another cringeworthy reminder of who she is in this timeline.

Nick Burkhardt's wife.

That title is far more notorious in the Wesen community than her being a Hexenbeist.

However, her reaction to that is nothing compared to the reaction of the guy that hit on her. All of her firm's employees are Wesen and all of them are completely aware of that their Boss' status as the wife of the most feared Grimm in the planet. The guy started crying, panicking, and even attempted to approach her again to apologize but the Supervisor stopped him again saying, "Don't make it worse!"

It didn't help too that at 4:30PM Nick came to fetch her for a supposed dinner. The guy had probably said goodbye to his family and wrote his will.

"What's funny?" Nick asked with a frown when he entered her office and caught her chuckling.

"I just realized that as far as authority and reputation goes, being married to a Grimm has a lot of perks," she told him.

"Well, that depends on the Grimm," Nick gave this reply though, digging into the facts. "2031 Nick Burkhardt has money, power, and influence unlike most Grimms that are typically nomads."

"Still, if I'd known, I should have focused more stealing you from your girlfriend than listening to my mom."

"You succeeded eventually, so there's no point regretting that."

"Oh yeah I did," Adalind said in a teasing tone.

"Aren't we going now, honey," Nick said with difficulty accompanied with a low growl.

"It's babe," she corrected. "I'm the one who calls you honey."

"Fine, babe. We have dinner."

Adalind giggled. She might mean the entire world to the Nick of 2031 but the Nick she knows isn't there yet. Armed with the fact that he'll be stuck with her in the future and for the rest of his life, she couldn't help teasing him whenever the chance presents itself.

"So shall we go?" He offered his hand, inviting her.

"How sweet," she kissed his cheek, accepting his hand.

Nick cringed a bit from the touch and they headed to their dinner. The restaurant their future kids arranged was a blend of Texan and Italian so it has the finesse of the latter while delivering the quantity of the former. The perfect dining place for those who can afford the fancy but are not used to it which is exactly what Nick is.

The dinner went well. Satisfying food-wise but uneventful overall. It was supposed to be a dinner between husband and wife on their anniversary but those people aren't them, at least not yet.

They tried to open a conversation, both attempting to probe into what they had eventually liked on each other that they ended up tying the knot years later. But they can't or rather, they're unable to. Their future selves might have found love in each other and they will be them eventually but as of now, they're two people that just days ago had tried to kill each other.

They left the restaurant after finishing their courses and some wine and are both ready to return to the Burkhardt mansion.

However, when they left and are about to head to their car, they coincidentally encounter a familiar face.

"Juliette?"

"She's Eve," Adalind corrected Nick immediately when he called the teenage girl 'Juliette'. He's not wrong though but he's not entirely right either.

"Eve?" Nick mused. "Sounds familiar."

"She's Kelly's girlfriend." Diana had told them about her during their first day here.

"Oh!"

"Hi, you two must be the younger Nick and Adalind," Eve greeted.

"You knew?" Nick was surprise.

"Kelly told me," she said. "I'm even helping bringing you guys back."

"You really look like…"

Nick started but Eve interrupted him, "Like Juliette? Of course I am. I'm her daughter."

Observing Eve, Adalind was inwardly impressed. She's very good presenting lies and makes them sound like facts. Diana had told her about what happened to her, at least the brief overview.

Juliette turned into a Hexenbeist because of one of her shenanigans and her original personality died, giving birth to Eve. Originally, she has the complete visage of Juliette but a Cronosian had reverted her to her teens which had been more appropriate to her actual age according to Diana.

"Juliette's daughter? But didn't Diana say that Kelly only dates Hexenbeister."

"I am," Eve proclaimed. "My Dad's side."

Nick asked a few more questions which can't be helped, thought Adalind. Nick is asking details of the current life of the woman who technically he is still with. However, they remained within the parameter of not probing too much and it is obvious that Eve was also oriented to this by their kids. Despite her stories being majority made up, she shared within those parameters. But when Nick finally asked how is Juliette is now, Eve sadly said, "She's gone. 11 years ago with my Dad. Car accident."

"I-I'm sorry to hear that." Nick tried to keep his composure but it's obvious that he's devastated to find out that Juliette is dead in this timeline. At this moment, Nick completely stopped asking. After all, this is the reason why they'd agreed with the restrictions in the first place.

"Let's head back now," Adalind finally voiced out.

Nick nodded then looked at Eve. "It's nice meeting you."

Eve smiled. "Take care heading home."

* * *

After that night meeting Eve, time flashed and three days had already passed.

2031 Nick and Adalind returned from their trip and the solution to return him and Adalind back to their original timeline had been completed including a memory erasing spell concocted by Diana.

Thus now, here they are, back in Bremen Ruins where they will pass once again through time and space. And along with their future selves and their kids, Monroe, and Rosalie, Eve was also here to send them off.

"Here, take these," Diana said, handing to them a pair of vials containing a bluish concoction. "These are the memory erasing potions. After drinking it, you will forget everything you saw here."

Nick stared at the vial and sighed. Taking this, he's taking away the chance to take a different path. The path that does not lead to Adalind.

He liked this future, he really do. And knowing the truth from 27 years ago, well 7 years ago from his original time to be exact, he has a lot of catching up to do to make it up to Adalind once the time comes that their romance rekindled. Like what his future self said, he failed her.

"Can I ask you something before we take this?" Adalind said to him.

"What is it?"

"Let's just say that what if our future selves are not asking us to forget, would you let things set its course, the course that will lead you to me? Or, would you do everything in your power to change the future?"

"I really don't know," he said after a brief silence. "To be honest, the biggest reason probably that I'm willing to forget is that the history that created this future will lay the path for me and I don't have to make a choice."

Freewill and decisions are good but sometimes, they could weigh a man down and Nick, given what he'd managed to uncover though partially from this timeline, is unsure whether he has the courage to make the choice.

"You know what, I was thinking the same," Adalind admitted. "I don't know if I have what it takes to carry that kind of burden."

"I'm still wondering though what it would feel like," Nick paused and looked at her. "Loving you."

Adalind smiled. "Guess we'll know in four years."

"You two ready?" At that moment, Diana called their attentions.

To the same spot where they arrived in this timeline, 2031 Nick stood there holding his magical staff.

"So that thing can also do time-travelling stuffs?"

"It does," said 2031 Nick. "In fact, the first thing it did for me as its master is to redo and fix a certain timeline."

"I'm curious but I'm not gonna ask," Nick said. "I have a feeling that it's a long conversation topic."

"It is," 2031 Nick admitted. "Now, could you two please stand over there?" He pointed onto the same spot where he took Adalind's power. "I'm gonna return you two on the same moment that you left in 2011. The potions Diana made will take effect fully 5 minutes after consumption. Within that time make sure that you two had parted ways. For safety reasons."

2031 Nick was staring solely to Adalind during the entire length of his explanation, obvious that all his worries are for her.

"Now, drink those up."

Nick and Adalind opened the vials and drank its content.

The moment it entered his system, Nick immediately felt the gradual fading of his memories. Starting from his arrival, to meeting Rosalie, and are heading now to the memories of his future self and his family.

"Wait, I have something to say." By that same time, Adalind rushed and grasped Adalind's hands. "Listen, uhm, things when you get back aren't going to be nice and, you will be alone through all of it. But, as much as it might about to break you, you have to stay strong. And, when you find your happiness, hold onto it and never let go."

"You mean never let him go," Adalind indicates at Nick.

2031 Adalind smiled, "Sort of like that."

"I will."

"Addie," 2031 Nick called to his wife. "The clock is ticking."

"Okay," 2031 Adalind nodded and let go of Adalind. "Have a safe return."

His wife parting from them, 2031 Nick then raised his staff and a black swirling portal appeared behind them, unceremoniously swallowing them.

_**SWOOSH!**_

There was a brief but total darkness after that and when his surroundings reappear, they are still in Bremen Ruins but this time, the ambiance of the place is far more familiar.

They are back in 2011.

"Are we back?" Adalind asked, her eyes scanning their surroundings.

"Yes," Nick replied, utterly certain. Looking around, there are still traces of their previous wrestle. Even their physical conditions reverted back including the blood stains on their lips.

"So…I guess I should be on my way now," Adalind said uncomfortably.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Nick agreed. The potion's effect is nearing closer and closer to full effect and when it does, they both know that the animosity against each other will kick in again. "Adalind wait…"

However, when she was about to leave…

* * *

_**Back in 2031**_

After making certain that he'd sent them to the right place and the right time safely is only then that Nick's tense mood relaxed.

"Everything went well?" Everyone curiously and nervously asked.

"Yeah," Nick nodded. "They're back just fine."

All sighed in relief with Monroe being the loudest.

"Let's go home."

Then, Diana suddenly exclaimed. "Wait Dad!"

"Yeah?"

"Here, take this," she said, passing him a vial. "You too Mom." To Adalind as well.

"What is it?" They both asked.

"It's the antidote for the memory erasing potion."

"Why are you giving this to us?" Nick wondered.

"Well, after that forgetting each other thingy from 27 years ago, I know you wouldn't want to forget memories with Mom ever again. So I made these." Diana explained. "It will negate the effect of the potion your past selves drank earlier or rather, 20 years ago."

Nick's eyes brightened with understanding. "We will regain our memories of that time-traveling trip?"

"It will," Diana assured with a smile.

"Alright then." Nick opened the vial and drank its content. So did Adalind.

Fragments after fragments of lost memories instantly returned with great clarity. He remembered the adrenaline of arriving here, the revelation that he's in the future, the shock and horror of finding out that Adalind is his wife, and the deep shame and regret knowing that he'd abandoned her several years earlier.

Then there were their times here together. Their children forcing them to stay in the same room despite their objections, their disgust of their future selves over the top display of affection, and then to that awkward dinner they have during their anniversary.

All of it returned to him.

However, there's another memory that wasn't part of his stay in the future. Instead, it was a memory during their return, the last minute or so before their memories were completely erased.

Staring at him lovingly, his wife said, "So our first kiss really was here."

"_Adalind wait…"_

During that night, when their memories of the future was about to fade, he rushed to her in the last minute, took her face to his hands and kissed her.

It was uncomfortable and nerve-wracking back then and the act was simply a final scratch on a curiosity. But despite that, he never regretted doing it.

Their first kiss.


	6. CHAPTER 6 – The Melancholy of Eve

**CHAPTER 6 – The Melancholy of Eve **

When I opened my eyes I was in the darkness. Four walls, sealed, no windows, and I don't even know who I am. All I can tell is that there's a consuming, overwhelming resentment boiling inside and I don't even have the slightest of idea to whom it belonged to. Is it mine? If yes? Why do I have it? What happened?

"You're dead, but you don't have to stay that way." That was what the first person I encounter after a long time had told me.

Furious. Consumed by whatever hatred that's eating me, I tried to attack him but I was stopped. "You will learn how to focus that rage." Then he slapped me. "If you survive."

After that it was days of endless torture. They were breaking me down or rather, they were rebuilding me into some sort of…I don't know. I can't really tell which is which. All my attention were focused on the pain, both physical and what's inside, and how to numb it.

When I did, that's when things start to make sense. Who I am or at least, who I used to be. To whom this body of mine used to belonged to.

I was Juliette Silverton. She had a good life, a loving boyfriend, and a bright future ahead of her. But the world where her boyfriend, Nick, belonged to broke them apart and in the end, she became a monster who turned her back from the people who loved her in the most brutal way.

I spent most hours of my alone time digging through all of those. Her memories. Of what made her, Her. I don't have a foundation of who I am so I needed to draw something from someone and she's the only option I have to at least put a little stability on my identity.

Eve.

That's the name they gave me. This secret organization's little project of creating a weapon against an uprising of monsters like Juliette. Like me.

Wesen.

And in my case, I'm a Hexenbeist.

Eventually, the days of torture had ended as I shaped into the thing they desired. An unfeeling, task-centered weapon who will do everything it takes to get the job done.

It wasn't easy. Not with all the chaos going on from the source in which I draw my current identity. She's dangerous but I'm sure that I can keep things in control as long as I'll only take what I needed and locked all the rest.

Still, it remains uncomfortable if I don't divert my attention from it. Because of what I did to sculpt myself I have all her memories and they're unsettling. Knowing that she had all of that. That she was actually given a chance and she throws it away. What were she thinking?

But then again, looking all through those pains and the burden of carrying it all inside you while being confused and angry and completely out of control. Maybe dying would have been the only end.

* * *

Having to face the people from Juliette's life is probably the toughest predicament that I had yet to face especially towards Nick. Truly, he's as gallant and as honorable as I'd seen it through Juliette's memories. It's no wonder that she loved him so much and how understandable it was that her entire world had broken apart when the Wesen world took him away from her.

Something is stirring inside me, something from Juliette. Fuck! I expected that confronting him isn't going to be easy but I failed to account how strongly Juliette feels towards him.

"You want to know what isn't easy?" He said, gaze filled with hatred locked directly at me. "Knowing that you set me up. And that you set up my mother."

I was silent. A part of me wanted to tell him to stop. Stop blaming me of the things I didn't really do. But as much as I want to do that in that moment, I couldn't. Because, whether I recognize it or not, I used to be Juliette and she, I, did those horrible things to him. We betrayed his love, his trust. And looking back I came to realize that despite how destructive and dangerous Juliette was becoming, Nick had actually still held hopes, still put that faith that Juliette won't push as horribly as she did.

But she did. And with that, Nick had also turned his back from her and the Universe arranged that it will be done in a brutally ironic way.

Adalind.

When I found out what had become of their relationship after Juliette's departure I immediately thought that it was some kind of a sick joke.

Her!? Seriously!?

After all the pain she'd cause and knowing that everything that happened to Nick and Juliette were all due to her manipulations that Nick would actually love her!?

I wanted to confront the Universe at that very moment and beat the shit out of him. I might not be Juliette anymore and this matter does concern me but I know the concept of fairness and this one is truly unfair!

* * *

Days and weeks then came and go after that night of meeting Nick. I fulfilled my role as the Wall's weapon with the best dedication and precision, not letting anything divert me from it. Well, except for one.

It's just me and the shadows right now but in front of me stood the paint factory where Nick and Adalind currently reside. It's far from the well-furnished house Nick and Juliette used to have. It's small and barren but digging into Juliette's memories, comparing Nick then and now, it is here where Nick is at his most content, eager to head home every night.

Home.

I thought that shouldn't be the appropriate term because Nick is just obligated to be with her because of their kid. But who am I kidding? Seeing how their relationship progressed since I'd began this self-torture, I know that his life is assimilating more and more into her. That it isn't just cohabitation. Not anymore.

Their vulnerabilities and their time together are shaping what they are to each other into something more intimate, romantic, with their child as the link whether they intend it to be or not.

And it hurts. That fact pierce something in my heart and it's devastating, painful.

Wearing Juliette is a necessity. It gives the foundation that I lack and therefore, grant me the ability to function. To be Eve, to be the weapon. However, doing so also puts me vulnerable to experiencing the things that could break her apart, mentally and emotionally. And Nick, and his life that's fading at a terrifying pace away and away from her fell into the category perfectly.

On the other hand, the rational part of myself that's unreached by Juliette's influence, the part that's entirely me, tells me that Nick should have it. That he deserves it. That whatever Juliette might felt about it are of no significance as she had already forfeited whatever say she might have into Nick's life when she betrayed him.

Whatever she might think or want does not matter.

It does not matter to Nick, to his friends, even to her.

What only matter are those that will make Nick happy. Those that could overwrite and undo all the pain Juliette brought.

Adalind and their child fulfilled that perfectly. Thus, it must be kept that way and I probably should start having a stronger control of not minding over the feelings that aren't even my own and to that of a traitor on top of that.

Doing so, I might come closer into making myself whole.

* * *

It was easier said than done.

Without a true foundation over my identity, disregarding Juliette is completely impossible. My mind would often respond as if I am her and Nick will always be the trigger.

I couldn't help sighing over such helplessness. Through the months that passed, I thought I'm already better than this. That I'm doing better, that I am closer into completing Eve and casting away Juliette.

But I am not. Juliette is still a huge part of me.

Every time I look at Nick and the life he's building to completion, Juliette would kick in and the torture would begin. It will then take all of the discipline and willpower I polished under HW to not break.

Her scent lies thick on him again. That's an obvious fact, and I would always wonder how she did it, how could she make Nick cast away his former resentment and disgust over her. One possibility I considered is because he would compare her with Juliette.

I have her face but I'm a distant acquaintance. We're not close and we're not even friends, and the last memory he had of Juliette is her giving up on him and killing the last family he has. Someone once said that the last memory is what will define you. Guess it applies here. Juliette was an ending defined as a nightmare but with Adalind, there are still windows to create good memories. That's why it's bearable to sleep with her, make love to her.

"Have you noticed any changes in Adalind?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The suppressant you gave her won't last. And if she becomes a Hexenbeist again, she will not be who you know now."

"Kind of been there, done that." He said, looking at me.

At that moment, I experience a huge blow in my chest. What was just that expression just now? He sounded so detach, distant. Like the end of his life with her didn't just happened a few months ago.

And that wasn't the end of it. I could tell by looking into his eyes that his mind is not into stopping it from happening but to figure it how to make it work when it happen.

A Grimm and a Hexenbeist as a family.

"Then you should be prepared."

* * *

And prepare he was – to wage war that is.

With the revelation that Renard collude with Black Claws and them using Diana to take Adalind and their son, he immediately turned Portland upside down.

He's obsessed and mad.

He wanted them back…he wanted her back and he didn't care who he will drag and how many bodies he will lay in his wake.

Reaching its boiling point, bodies are dropping left and right and I could have been one of them if he didn't save me.

However now…

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's wrong?" Trubel asked in concern.

Tired of waiting under the tunnels while Nick fight for his life upstairs, Trubel wanted to join him. I stopped her and volunteered to do it instead. However when I tried to woge, I feel apart almost immediately.

"I don't know. Something's in the way."

Trubel held my face and looked at me directly in the eyes. "You're feeling stuff."

"No. I won't go back."

Something changed after Nick healed me and at one point I considered that I'm returning to being Juliette again. That her emotions and persona are emerging and taking me over. But no. Probing better, I realized that it's something else.

Something new.

Something that belonged solely to me.

But I can't deal with that right now. Not while things are still messy and I'm good as useless.

Fortunately, things are heading for the better. Well, at least that's what I wanted to believe.

Bonaparte is dead, Renard killed him, and for some reason, Nick isn't, even after taking three shots in the chest. He's still alive, wild, and determine of getting Adalind and his son back.

But he needed to hurry. All of us has to, actually. Things are messy for us but the same thing applied to Renard as well. In fact, he's in a more difficult situation because of what he did to Bonaparte. He's on a hurry to settle things up and get rid of them so he can pin it all to Nick and take Black Claws off his ass.

The first attempt was a miss though. Using a loophole, Renard got the better of us and he is now is closer to solidifying his position as the new Mayor. However, that also serves as our next opportunity.

Certain of his win, he got confident, arrogant. He let his guard down.

That was his biggest mistake. If there is something anyone should learn after being with Nick for a long time is to never underestimate him and the people that are willing to kill and die for him.

The King, Kenneth, and even Juliette made that mistake and look where they are now – dead.

Lucky for Renard though, he's still Diana's father. Regardless of Nick and Adalind's dislike of him after all that he'd done, they will never deny the girl of her father.

With that, Renard also made history. The first to live after screwing Nick Burkhardt. In the future, he might get to brag about it.

* * *

Domestic life didn't suit me.

With Bonaparte dead and Renard defeated, Black Claw is scrambling and disorganized, making it the perfect opportunity for HW to strike.

Trubel regrouped with them but I was laid off. With my current condition, I'm of no help and even if my powers are still at their disposal, they do not need something of that quality to deal with what's left. I mean, in a comparison, no one would use an atomic bomb on a riot.

But that's not the most frustrating part.

After cornering and beating Renard, I was left with nothing to do. So the first thing I did was to make sense of what had happened to me. To make sense of these emerging emotions that overwhelms me. Therefore, I returned to the tunnels to reconnect with that healing stick.

It was a bad idea.

Not only due to the torture I have to endure for days but to recover, I have to live in Nick's loft for the time being.

Talk about odd.

Technically, I'm still Nick's ex and we used to live together for years but right now, I'm sort of crashing in the couch of his new house and cohabitating with him, his new girlfriend, and their children.

I also realized then that literally, I. Am. Homeless.

I have to figure this out! With emotions now in the equation and my duties as a weapon presently laid off, I need to start living like a normal person again and I have to figure out how to do that as soon as possible. And if not, I have to find something that can occupy my attention for the time being.

"Ugh Nick!"

But then, as I lay in bed while staring at the ceiling, I heard a suppressed moan coming from Nick and Adalind's bedroom.

"You're being too loud," Nick whispered.

"Because you're getting too rough," Adalind reprimanded.

My mind numbed for a second, hearing their voices. Are they doing what I think they're doing? I mean, Diana is not here right now – it's Renard's turn – and their son, which is still an infant, won't be much of a bother.

But seriously? This is really happening? Here? Right now? While I'm…?

'_Son of a bitch!'_

* * *

A new crisis loomed over the horizon.

It's bad new but somehow, something like this is what I needed.

It all started with – in Nick's words – a swirling blue tornado and a skull-like dude with green eyes staring right at us.

I asked if we should tell our friends but he suggested that not until we have a better grip of what we just saw especially that it's Monroe's birthday. We don't want to spoil the mood especially if I'll be the cause of it.

Unfortunately, Monroe's birthday didn't turn uneventful as we wanted.

A grudge from the past had returned to haunt Nick and we all got dragged into it. As it turns out, a criminal Nick apprehended years ago was a Cupiditas and his son happened to be a waiter working in the hotel we booked for Monroe's birthday.

Cupiditas are known to be very devoted to their kin and are very vengeful to those they believed had wronged them. To avenge his father, the Cupiditas, Randy Goode, used the Amor de Inferno on us, making our attractions scrambled.

Nick got onto Rosalie, Monroe to me, Adalind to Monroe, Hank to himself, while lastly, Wu, chased after Goode's co-worker.

Meanwhile me, I was set on Nick.

Thankfully, Rosalie, thanks to her pregnancy, didn't get affected by the love potion which was spiked on the champagne and chased after Goode to undo what he did. With the help of Wu, she succeeded.

When it was all over, when the party ends and we now get to go home, I made a self-assessment regarding of what just happened.

As Juliette I used to love Nick and under the effect of the love potion, I thought loving him would feel natural. But when I reassessed my feelings, I found it to not be the case.

The love I felt for him back then was nothing more but the effect of the potion. Nothing of the love originated entirely from me, at least as Eve. As for Juliette, if she's still somewhere in me, I know that regardless how twisted it had become that she will always love Nick.

I am Eve.

With what just happened, that part of my identity is stronger than ever.

Now I understand what the stick did when it healed me, what was it that was introduced to me. It was the pieces that Eve lacks. It was filling the gap that is there in my identity because I was born as a persona instead of an actual person.

Technically, I'm barely a year old but with the nature of my birth and what the people that brought me forth needed from me, I have to immediately adapt to be an adult. That's why I needed Juliette as foundation and why I have to rely to it. And with my life revolving still to the people in her life, separating me from her became next to impossible.

But now that's not the case anymore. The stick gave me the foothold that I desperately needed. The foothold that makes me, Me.

Not as formerly Juliette but simply just Eve.

However, as I made that realization while holding Rosalie's mirror, it happened again. The skull guy and a grip against my neck once again.

After that, the next thing I know is waking up in the hospital with Nick looking after me.

* * *

The looming crisis turns out to be the end of world with the skull guy being some sort of a destroyer.

I found these all out after working my ass to cross the world behind the mirror and with Nick following me.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did he have to follow me?

The reason I did all of these is so that none of them will have to. Unlike me, they have lives to look forward to. They have families now, children. They should be living more for them now more than anything else.

And me? I am not worth it for them to risk anything. I might not be Juliette but her blood and her sins lives through me. In a twisted sense, given that I am born from her, technically, I am her daughter. And as a Silverton, I find it my duty to atone for what my family did to theirs especially on Nick's.

"No, no, no. No. Hey! We don't split up. We stay together."

"I don't want to be rescued, Nick. I came here for a reason."

He then made a face that says, 'not this again'. "You can't take on this skull thing alone."

"You have a son. You should be thinking of him."

"You're here because of me. None of this would have happened to you if you hadn't met me."

I am not Juliette and I know that he knows that but at the same time, he couldn't still set me apart from her because he never had any closure when she left. A closure he deserved and a necessity to move forward from now on. "So you think I wanna change that?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, I don't!" I countered with brutal honesty, giving my piece like I am Juliette. The words she might spoke to Nick if she's here and she sees things that way I did. "A lot of bad things happened to me when all of this started. I didn't understand it. I was scared and angry, and I did a lot of terrible things. Things I can never forgive Juliette for. But I'm not Juliette anymore, Nick. She's gone. There may be a part of me that is like her, but it is not who I am now and it's not who I'm gonna be again. I don't blame you. When we were together, I only knew a part of who you were. You only knew a part of who you were."

"None of us are who we used to be," he said solemnly.

"And that's good," I pressed on.

"You really believe we're better off?"

"I have a strength and a purpose that I never had before," I said, completely wearing Eve this time. "I know you're here because you loved me once, and you feel responsible for the bad things that have happened. But you can't change any of it. And I can't change any of it. And if you could, would you really want to go back to the way things were just to be happy?"

Nick sighed but there's no conflict in his expression. He had moved on from Juliette a long time ago whether he had already realized it or not.

"Happy doesn't interest me anymore, Nick." With what's ahead of me given I survive this crisis, this heart of mine doesn't have the courage to embrace that. "It just gets in the way." Then I continued, "You know, everything that has happened to us, that brought us together, right here, right now, happened for a reason. So I think you're right."

"Right about what?"

"I can't kill Zerstorer alone." I have to return him to Adalind and their son. But with him here and with the fight just around the corner, asking him to not do a thing and flee is like asking the sun to rise from the west. It is better to be with him than against him. "It's gonna take both of us."

He nodded and I believe that's when the final battle happened because the next thing that fills my mind after the life and death battle against Zerstorer is us returning to our world and Nick, seemingly distraught and gleefully relieved seeing all of us alive and okay.

Something else happened in between but he refused to tell us at that moment.

Still, according to him and Diana, Zerstorer is gone and the world is safe.

* * *

A year had passed since that final battle and our lives moved forward.

Rosalie gave birth to three boys while Nick and Adalind got married and moved out to a real house from their loft.

As for me, well, like I had already said, the domestic life does not suit me but it can't be helped because I needed to blend in, to have a cover, a place in the society. I was able to return to the Wall but with Black Claw gone, their activities had dwindled down from all-out war to special missions and that's not often. So like standard spies, we live along with everyone at plain sight and luckily for me – if you can call it that – I have Juliette's registries and credentials and using her memories, I have access to them.

I am Eve but in papers I still have to be Juliette Silverton. It's uncomfortable since I don't want anything more related to her that I have to wear. I have her face and the remnant of her life so I guess it's not too much to ask to not to have more of it. But what can I do? It's an order from the higher ups and I have to comply if I want to keep my job.

Anyway, today is a special day. Well, it sort of a ritual at this point but for me it's always a special day whenever it happens where it's probably the only part of my domestic life that I truly look forward to.

Adalind invited me to have lunch with their kids.

To play with Kelly.

The special circumstances of my birth had me skip childhood and initially, it didn't bother me. But since completing my transition around half a year ago and completely parting with Juliette's persona, the domestic life will sometimes emerge the urge to make up to all that I'd missed especially to the childhood I literally never had. And in this particular matter, I developed a particular fancy to Nick's son, Kelly.

I could still remember that day. It was around three weeks after our return from the mirror dimension. Nick got into a Wesen-related case where a particular potion is needed. We want to give Rosalie some slack due to her condition so the potioneering duties landed on me and Adalind.

We were occupied by the task, following the instructions to do this and that, mix this with this. We do talk about something outside the task from time to time but for the most part, it's the business at hand

It was just her and me and Kelly who's sleeping in his playpen. We were occupied on the task, having small talks and quick snacks every now and then. Like that, hours expire and we were nearly done.

But then, we suddenly hear a noisy cry and realize that their son had woken up.

Adalind sighed. "Peace time's over," she says and headed to his playpen. Kelly immediately holds out his arms to be lifted. Adalind lifted him and rock him in her arms.

Back then, I considered the situation as nothing more than Adalind laying off for the time being to tend for her little boy. But out of nowhere, she looked at me and said, "Hey, you wanna hold him?"

Startled, I nearly jumped from where I stood when she offered me that. But beside that, I realized that I do. It's been a while since Kelly was born. Nick and I had settled a lot of loose ends from the past and gave each other our much needed closures. But if there's one thing that Nick will remain hesitant to ever share with me, it will be his son.

It's not a matter of trust but rather, a matter of parental instinct. It doesn't matter if Nick had moved on from Juliette or if he trusted me or not. No parent will ever entrust their children to a person that once upon a time had been a threat to them.

It's insulting but I can't blame him.

Regardless of what I do and what I will become, that stain in my existence will never disappear.

"Uhm…wh-why all of the sudden?" I stuttered.

"I just realized that among our circle of friends you're the only one who haven't held or carried Kelly yet," she explained, then annoyingly added, rolling her eyes, "Hell, even Sean did."

I nodded and with shaky hands, slowly slide my hands around him and took her from Adalind, holding him close to me. My heart was beating so fast as if a band is marching inside my chest. I'd fought the worst scums in the planet and even the devil himself but this the first time I'd been so nervous in my life.

He babbled around his pacifier before staring intently at me. Then he laughed and the pacifier fell from his mouth. I caught it before it could fall to the floor.

"Kelly," Adalind called and the little child turned to his mother. "This is mommy's friend, Eve."

Kelly turned to me again and stared with those big baby eyes. He has Nick's eyes and Adalind's smile. He smiled and hold onto my shirt, his expression as if saying – _take care of me, okay_.

'_I will,'_ I replied by smiling back.

"Say hello," Adalind instructed next.

He giggled and lifted his hands to pat my cheeks. "Hehehe, Eeevaa!

Both Adalind and I instantly froze. "Is he already talking?" I asked Adalind.

"No!" Adalind replied immediately.

"Eeeeevaaaa!" Kelly repeated. "Eva!"

After that, Nick and Adalind didn't talk to me for a few days. I earned their ire because the first word that their son spoke was not 'mama' or 'dada' but my name. I didn't mind though because that's probably the happiest moment of my life.

For the first time, someone saw me as just me. As Eve. Trusted and hold me as Eve, as me. Not as formerly Juliette or anything, just me.

Something exploded inside me during that moment. A familiar feeling. The same as when Nick used the stick on me – a piece to my identity.

When Kelly looked at me, hold me, and spoke my name, Eve becomes complete. She can now stand on her own without relying to Juliette. I am me, simply me, and the one that completes me was Kelly.

From that day on, I swore to all the gods and devils and I will dedicate my life for that kid. I will protect him so he can always smile like that. As long as I live, no harm will ever come his way.

From then on too, I would often volunteer to babysit their children especially that Rosalie and Monroe are becoming more and more inaccessible as Rosalie's pregnancy progresses. I would also grab any opportunity to bond with them without hesitation.

"How could you do that to Juliette, I thought you're decent guy!"

Nick was in a middle of an argument outside the restaurant when I arrived. It was a blonde woman whom I also recognize.

It was Ricki, one of Juliette's friends.

Though we never care to bother regarding it, a rumor had actually circulated for a while between the people that knew Nick and Juliette after that stand-off at the precinct two years ago. And obviously, they all assumed that Nick purposely cheated on Juliette that got Adalind pregnant.

Juliette's friends were of course furious especially that she disappeared afterwards without a word. They don't know and can't know the whole story so Nick shouldered all the blames. Another addition to the long list of things I have to atone in Juliette's behalf.

I rushed to them especially when I recognize that Ricki is about to slap Nick and Nick will just let her.

_***PACK!* **_I caught her wrist just in the nick of time.

Ricki looked at me and gasped in surprise. "Juliette?"

"I think it's improper to assume if you don't know anything," I said, glaring at her.

"Ju-Juliette," she stuttered, glancing between me and Nick. "But he…what's going on?"

"What's going on is that we didn't work," I started, dropping her wrist. "He found someone else, I didn't react well, and it's none of your business."

"Eev…uhm, Juliette, what are you doing here?" Nick asked.

I turned to Nick, "Adalind invited me," I said with a smile. "And I have to babysit tonight because you two have a date."

"We have?"

'_You have now.' _I replied inwardly and began to drag him to get inside, leaving the confused Ricki outside.

"What happened?" Adalind worriedly asked Nick. "And who was that?"

"Someone from the previous lifetime," it was me who answered, then reassured here, "Don't worry I took care of it."

"What took you long?" Adalind asked me as Nick and I sat.

I placed on top of the table the paper bag I was carrying and pulled out two toys. A witch doll for Diana and a witch stuff toy for Kelly. "Bought something first for the kids," I said. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Diana smiled while Kelly squealed in delight upon hugging his stuff witch.

Smiled back to the two children but focusing on Kelly, I couldn't feel more content by seeing him happy.

* * *

Unfortunately, the good days had come to an end.

With a broken heart, I have to leave.

The remnants of Black Claw are now wearing new faces and bringing newer threats. The world needed the protection of the Wall again and I, as their best weapon, must spearhead the charge.

The day I said goodbye, it took all willpower not to cry and beyond that to not turn and run back especially when Kelly cried, extending his arms in the intention of stopping me from leaving.

I forgot how I survived that day or the day after that. I probably just numbed my heart like what I had done during the beginning. To be distant and unfeeling so I can be efficient while escaping the pain. But, there's never a day where I didn't dream of returning. To Nick and his family and our friends. I woke up every day and fulfill whatever it is to be done for that reason alone.

Then, it happened. Three years later, the remnants of Black Claw launched their all-out attack all over the world. Many cities were devastated by this organized terrorist attack but the one that was devastated the most was the last place I would expect.

It was Portland.

When I learned of this, I immediately get into the details as there's no way that Black Claw could inflict this much damage with Nick around. But when the report came I discovered that the devastation of Portland was not caused by Black Claw.

It was Kelly's doing.

On that day, under the threat of Black Claw, Kelly's Zauberbeist nature awakened. A power that can destroy the world and its first victim was Portland.

My heart could not rest after finding this out. So using whatever authority I have over the Wall, I insisted to be reassigned back to Portland under the reason that I must look after the child that could bring the apocalypse. My request was granted but knowing the true reason of Kelly's outburst I feel like I lost every right to see him again.

I left because I wanted to protect him but in the end the only thing my decision did was break his heart. The tears he shred that day when I left and I thought I was doing something good for him.

Three years and all I accomplish was to fail him. What right do I have to see him again?

So I didn't reveal myself when I returned to Portland. I remain hidden and look after him and his family from the shadows and it remained as such for nearly 6 years until I couldn't bear it anymore.

I greeted him a Happy Birthday that day and for the first time in 9 years, I was able to smile again.

* * *

For the following years that came by, as I grow in age, alone. I started to question if I truly have the resolve to live up to what I said to Nick back then before our final confrontation with Zerstorer. If happy truly doesn't interest me any longer, because barely a year after that, it doesn't seem the case anymore.

Guess I shouldn't have finalized something when I myself wasn't even complete back then. Partial-Eve is a completely different person to Complete-Eve, and Complete-Eve wants different things.

But what is it that I truly want? My heart is searching for something but I don't know what it is but I am certain that it is just right in front of me and I'm simply failing to recognize it.

Then it happened. When that damned Cronosian reverted this body to its teens. My heart, for the first time, beats for someone and it was towards the man that I once held as a child.

Kelly.

_No no no no no no!_

No, I can't! I shouldn't!

Not only that it will be overly complicated due to my complex history with his family but Nick and Adalind will also kill me for it.

I tried to make my distance, to put boundaries, but I, and everyone else, had found ourselves powerless against his insistence.

And tonight, he is destroying my last line of defense.

"Kelly, no! Stop!" Pinned against the wall, I would exclaim whenever his lips freed mine.

"Then you should resist properly if you don't want the next thing to happen," he said mischievously.

"Young man, I'm serious!"

"So am I!"

"Kelly, please," I begged. "I can't…we can't do this."

"Why not?" He retorted. "I love you, Eve and I know you feel the same way. So why can't we hold onto it?"

"It's complicated!" I reasoned. "This is complicated!"

"Excuses!" He snapped. "You're making the same bullshits your mother did when she was still with my dad. Finding excuses because she's afraid. I thought you said you didn't want to be like her or are all those just talk?"

"I am not her!" I snapped back angrily. "I will never be like her!"

A huge grin spread across his face and his lips pressed against mine again. This time, I didn't resist.

Our tongues intertwined and unlike me whose experience is only through Juliette's memories and that one time when I pretended to be Renard, Kelly was more experienced. I would know because I couldn't count how many had I fumed with raging jealousy whenever I see he gets himself a new girlfriend.

His hands then moved to my shirt where he didn't just took it off but ripped it apart. Then he began leaving behind marks all over my bare flesh as if he was conquering me.

"Ouch!"

I felt a great deal of pain as if an untamed animal was biting me, but I endured as such pain was only a prologue.

The time was two in the morning. When the moon was at its highest and when people would be at their most vulnerable mindset. The bedroom of my apartment became stained with the odd heat and wetness of us trying to fill a void.

* * *

It was the second time that Kelly made me earn the ire of his parents. First was when he spoke my name as his first word and now because he's dating me and its worse this time. Fortunately though, through gradual and determined coaxing, we were able to make his parents and our friends approve of us. After all, all of them had known long before the true nature of my birth. Of how I am not that much older than Kelly and how Juliette gave birth to me but didn't just spill me out of her body.

We made it work. Kelly's determination had made it impossible not to. But falling in love with him had also brought upon some serious consequences, at least on my part.

Because of who I am and who I used to be and the things she'd done, I am living in fear every day that one morning might come and the past and all the bitterness and resentment will come back and haunt us.

Kelly can make it through. Like his old man, I know he could. But I am certain that I can't. Not with the weight of our sins weighed upon me.

I would wake up every day disgusted of myself, seeing myself as someone unfit to be loved, uncomfortable under my skin.

Regardless of who I really am, the reality remains that I used to be Juliette and she and the crimes she'd committed lives on through me. I am the living testament of how Juliette hurt Nick and his family and even threatened Kelly's life.

No one of them looks at me that way but I fear every day that one day they will. Even if it's just from one of them and even if it only happened for a moment, I know that I wouldn't be able to handle it. It will break my heart and I will be drowned in despair.

I want it all to disappear. I want the past to be erased. Now I understand what Nick had felt back then when he followed me to the mirror dimension. Changing the past is a very tempting idea. To right the wrong and erase all the pain.

Day after day, these thoughts would deteriorate my spirit and my only comfort is Kelly.

It didn't help too when that paranormal incident that the Nick and Adalind of 2011 visited 2031. All of them see the younger versions of their loved ones but for me, all I can see were Juliette's mistakes waiting to happen. Nick, that dreamy man whose heart she'd broken.

Then the moment I'd been fearing happened. One of them sees me as Juliette again. And it was Nick.

I guess I should have expected this from the moment that I dated Kelly. To where relationship counts, I guess Nick will find it hard to separate me from Juliette especially that it's with his son. He will doubt me, doubt me if I wouldn't be like her.

I know the whole story after all. Know how Juliette disappointed Nick again and again. How Nick's love was always not enough for her.

The fear is mutual. There's still a lifetime ahead of me and I always fear the possibility that one day I will be like her. That I might hurt Kelly the way she'd hurt Nick because I used to be her.

_AHHHHHHH!_

I grabbed the first thing I can get my hands on and throw it towards the mirror, the mirror that reflects Juliette instead of me. "I'm not gonna rot cleaning up your mess! One day, one day I'm gonna find a way to completely get rid of you," I said with conviction. "You'll be gone from my life, from their lives. I'm gonna erase you one way or another!"

Then, my body collapsed to the floor and I began to cry. At that moment, Juliette's image from the mirror reappeared beside me and asked me worriedly. "Eve, what's wrong?"

Sobbing, I looked up and gazed at her face. My darkest secret that I never told anyone even Kelly.

Juliette is still alive and she'd been with me for the past 10 years.


	7. CHAPTER 7 – Juliette's New Hope

**CHAPTER 7 – Juliette's New Hope**

The moment I woke up, I was already in this place.

All the pain, all the mistakes, the regrets, shame, and resentments – I am damned to relive them over and over again.

Not drinking that suppressant, betraying Nick, turning down his proposal, not telling him what I was becoming.

Not trusting him at all.

Every day it is displayed to me with great clarity what future we could have had if I had chosen differently in all of those circumstances. If I had agreed to marry him and if I had told him that I was becoming a Hexenbeist. If any one of those I had picked the other option, we could have had a better future – a future where we are together.

A family and Happy.

But now, none of those will ever be a reality.

I know that I'd died when Trubel plunged those bolts through my chest and it was Nick's face that I see one final time.

And I am in hell. A place where I will relive all my regrets again and again for eternity.

And I guess I deserve this. Without all the anger and manipulation clouding my judgment, I can now see all that happened in a new light. Of how I had been self-centered. Of how I didn't give the people I love the time they needed to figure things out. And even when they were helping me that I throw it all away.

I did something unforgivable. I wanted to hurt him, them, and I succeeded. But the pain and anger remain. It didn't go away, it just intensify.

It was a wishful thinking back then to believe that hurting him, bringing him pain that it will erase mine. Because I know that as so long as both of us breathe in the same world, knowing that the other was just on the other side somewhere, we will continually bring pain to each another.

It can only be him gone or me.

And I succeeded on that too. I am here now. Nick and I could no longer live in the same world. One of us is gone and the other will move forward.

This is what I wanted and it is here.

So why does it still hurt so much.

Because whether I admit it or not, beyond all the pain and anger I still love him. That it is something that will never go away. That the reason why this is my personal hell – the many possibilities of what our lives together could have been – is because of that.

The possibilities I've thrown away.

Between the nightmares, I would sometimes wonder how is he now. Did my death sadden him? Maybe for a little while, it is him after all.

And what is his life now?

No! I can't go there not unless I wanted to let go the last grip I have over my sanity.

I know it's selfish and I have no right whatsoever over it now but it's the final glimmer of peace I have. If Nick is unhappy then I will just add it to the list of my burdens. But what if he isn't? And what if he's creating a future with _her_?

They are going to have a child together so that possibility is not zero but I can't have myself entertain that regardless of how improbable that is.

Because if that happened, it means she won.

After everything she set in motion. After all the damage he brought to Nick and I until nothing's left that she'll be the one that gets to be happy in the end, having a future with him.

No, I can't have that! Anything but that! The world can't be that cruel!

This hell, the regrets I have, the wrong choices I made was all because she was in our lives. If Nick never knew her, if Sean never brought her to Nick's life, our lives wouldn't have headed to this direction.

It was all her fault so that will never happen. It just can't.

From then on, my nightmare becomes nothing compared to that thought.

That out there, after Adalind ruined me, ruined my life with Nick, that she'll get to have him and the future it promises. That it will be her that will live all these opportunities that Nick and I would've have.

* * *

Then one day, she came.

For only God knows how long that I'd stayed here, I'd had my suspicions regarding this place and the nature of my death and piece together a fact that…

I might not be dead yet.

Well, I am gone. My soul or whatever this 'me' is called is no longer the one in charge of my body but my body might still be alive and breathing while I'm stuck in this some sort of limbo.

How I figured that out?

It's because I could sense her.

Whoever it is that's currently in charge of my body, I could sense her life. And from time to time, her emotions or rather, her lack of it, as well.

I can't tell entirely what kind of a person she is based on what little I know about her but I have the impression that she's someone that's resolved and certain. She controls her fate regardless of whatever it throws her way. To define simpler – she's everything I wished I had been when I was still alive and with Nick.

If only I had her courage to face the future despite the uncertainties. To face reality despite how ugly it is. To have the conviction to held onto hope instead of surrendering to despair.

If I had been her, I would not have been here. Miserable, living in regrets, and alone.

"So I did felt it correctly," she said. "You've woken up. Though it could have been better if you've remained asleep."

"Who are you?" I asked. She has my face but there are only few of me that's a part of her.

"I'm Eve," she replied. "And you're Juliette."

"What are you?" I asked next. "And where am I?"

"I'm not sure myself but I came into being after you were shut down. I guess your Hexenbeist is not ready to die yet but does not want you to keep steering the wheels. So I guess it created me as a plan B. As for this place, this is a dream world. It can either be a torture of your own making or the opposite. Entirely depends on you."

"How do I get out of here? I need to get out!" Now that I'm certain that my body still lives, I have the chance to return.

"What are you going to do if you get out?"

I intend to reply but my voice trailed off, "I…" and found myself unable to answer.

If I get out of here, what would I do then? Return to Nick? Apologize? Atone? Make amends?

Do I even deserve any of that?

And whether he will forgive me or not, what then? We will never return to what we used to be. Even if he did forgive me, he will never welcome me back to his life and the same is true to his friends.

He will give me the same verdict – 'Get out!'

From his life, from everything.

"I will tell you this right now," Eve began. "Nothing is waiting for you outside. Not even hatred. And, as unappealing this place is right now, if you let go of all of the bad, this place can be a paradise you can enjoy until the day that you and I truly leave from this world."

That being the case, I might truly be happier if I stayed here. But, that's not what I want. Once I let go, I will just be forgetting. There will be no true resolution. Just a matter of giving up…again.

I will just be taking again the same path that brought me here. If I truly want to find peace, I know that I can only accomplish that by truly facing the consequences of the things I'd done. Face what my actions had ruined.

I won't find that here.

Truly, Nick and my former friends will never welcome me back. But only by facing them again, live the consequences of my sins, it is only then that I can reclaim the woman I used to be. The woman I'd given up. Only then can I move forward and live the paradise or hell of the future that awaits me.

That's why I have to get out. I can't accomplish that from here. I have to get out to do that.

* * *

Getting out didn't happen right away. It took time and a lot of convincing.

Eve remained resolute that staying here is what's best for me but I insisted.

I insisted and insisted again and again.

I even reshaped the dream world into the paradise she talks about but I had still insisted that to truly move forward, the only option, the only right thing to do, is still to face the world outside.

Finally, she agreed but the arrangement was not earning back control over my body or even sharing it with her. I will return as a mere consciousness. An accumulated cluster of thoughts that is there but without a body. A 'ghost' for a more convenient term.

I will be beside her, always. See what she sees and even more but only within a restricted distance. My feelings, my wants, and wishes, will not bring any impact into the world not unless I channel it through Eve, given that she will agree.

"Where are we?"

The first day she let me out, we were in the front gate of an estate that cradles a huge mansion. I'd been in an overly fancy residence before when I worked with the Royals but that place can't hold a candle, both in size and aesthetic, to this place.

"And why are we here?"

"You'll find out soon," was all she told me. "Here's a thing, this place is highly secured. I can't get in without them knowing that I'm around, so I will need you to do that for me." Eve instructed then instructed further, "The distance from here to inside of their house is within the allowed range. All you have to do is check on them, what they are doing? Are they well? Is there any problem? Gather all of that and then you report back to me."

_Wait the minute…_Did she only just let me out for this reason?

To be her untraceable spy.

I know her job for the government agency that monitors Wesen activities but for her to take advantage of my condition this way?

"I'm not taking advantage of you," she countered. "You'll know once you meet them. You want to do your 'quest to peace' thingy. Well, this is the first step."

I was not convinced but I still did what she asked.

Well, who could these people be?

Except that they're filthy rich, they're the 'husband-wife with a kid per gender' standard arrangement of a family as far as I could tell.

The husband is named Nate, a government official while the wife, Andrea, is a lawyer. Their daughter, the eldest child, her name is Darlene, is around 12 or 13, and the son, Kyle, is 5.

They're a loving family. Over the months that Eve made me sneak in and watched after them, I witness how devoted of a father and a husband Nate is and Andrea is the perfect embodiment of a wife and mother. Their children are well-mannered and cheerful and loved their parents very much.

R-18, another notable thing that I unwittingly recognize between Nate and Andrea is how much they desire one another. I would often get the misfortune of catching them having sex outside their bedroom and in broad daylight whenever their children are not around. There was even one time when Nate arrived home early from work and found his wife doing some study in the library. Andrea was leaning forward to return books to the shelves when Nate gave her a look-over, checked her ass, and with a pounce, did her then and there. Andrea didn't resist and even did the best she could to equally respond to her husband's affection.

Of course, I had left immediately as always as it's not only perverted but extremely rude to peep onto a couple during their intimate times.

All in all, they're a family that an onlooker would distinguish as perfect.

However, over the course of the months that I'd uninvitedly mingled with them, I would sometimes experience an unexplained pang in my chest whenever I look at them. Eve is also acting strangely.

Going back during Day 1 of my freedom, she told me that I would know these people once I see them but all I see were strangers. Then when I returned to her, she said, "You don't recognize them?"

I shook my head in reply. "No. Should I?"

Then she asked for their names which I answered: Nate, Andrea, Darlene, and Kyle.

Then it gets weirder when she did this next, "Alright, I'm gonna try something – Andrea! What did I just said?"

"You said Andrea," I replied.

"How about now? Andrea! Nate! Darlene! Kyle!"

"Why do you keep saying their names?"

Eve's eyes flashed an amused glint. "Whoa! This is interesting."

"What's interesting?!" I snapped. "Also, can you tell me now who are they? You said I'm supposed to know them but I don't, so who are they?"

"If you don't really recognize them then let's just keep it that way," she said. "Regardless, looking after them is my mission."

Eve refused to tell me anything after that.

They weren't Eve's only assignment though. From time to time, the Wall would summon her to other areas in Portland for a different mission. Some are also surveillance but the majority are for capture or assassination. During these times, Eve's demeanor would always take a 180 degrees turn. With Nate and his family, Eve is zealous and motivated but with the rest, she would just be cold, precise, and eager to finish it off.

From then on, I would often ponder what is Eve's relationship with these people and why are they special.

It remained unanswered over the months that come but one day, the fantasy decided to disappear and I was thrown to the soul crushing truth.

It was November – Thanksgiving Day.

Nate and his family prepared a feast for their family and friends and initially, nothing was out of the ordinary. But when all of their guests arrived, the layers that shield me from reality were peeled one after another.

It started with a couple with three children. The husband is Nate's bestfriend and a vegetarian, holiday enthusiast while his wife is an outstanding tea brewer. The next to arrive were Nate's friends, 2 cops. One was of Asian descent while the other was an African-American. Then, the last piece – Nate's female cousin, a troublemaking looking girl.

Suddenly, I remembered the night when a certain girl plunged two bolts to my chest and the appearance of Nate's cousin began to match the identity of that girl.

The one who killed me – Trubel.

After that, everything else fell like a dominos. Their faces started to shift into ones that are very familiar to me. The two cops are Hank and Wu. The couple with three kids are Monroe and Rosalie. And then, Nate and Andrea…

I staggered back and stared at them in horror. All these times, the happy family that I had been watching over was theirs. Back to that first day too, when Eve keeps saying Nate and Andrea's names, it was actually theirs that she's been saying but I have been perceiving it differently.

"Nick? Adalind?" I spoke their names as I reminisced all the things I'd seen in this house over the past months. Every kiss and every 'I love you' they shared. Their intimate times and…

"Mommy." Their 5-year old son stood beside Adalind and pulled the hem of her shirt.

"Yes Kelly?" Adalind said, carrying him to her arms.

'_NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'_

I squeezed my head and cried as I fell to my knees and at that same moment, I heard Eve's voice. She communicated through our link. "Guess the lie is over," she said. "I didn't expect it to take this long though."

Now I understand what truly happened during the first day. Back then, Eve wanted me to see Nick and his family. To my journey to seeking peace, he's the crucial first step. But then, by some supernatural defense mechanism, I'd perceived their identities differently.

"You…you knew?" Eve realized this but had preferred to keep me in the dark.

"I regarded it that you're not ready yet."

I slowly raise my head to directly stare at the reality that I subconsciously deny to admit. The reality that tormented me a thousand times more than the hell I lived through every day. "Nick, how could he? How could…?" How could he love her? After everything she did! After what she'd done to me, to us!

"How could he not?" Eve retorted in a mocking tone. "When you turn your back from them, betrayed them, betrayed Nick, when you gave up on them, you did it quite easily. What makes you think Nick can't do the same?"

"No," I sobbed, my heart shattered to million pieces.

"Like I told from the very beginning, nothing is waiting for you here. Not even hatred."

She said then our link was cut. At the same time, Adalind's phone rang. When she saw the name of the caller, she excitedly called everyone.

"Guys, it's Eve!" She announced and answered the call in loudspeaker mode. Everyone stood quickly and squeezed themselves as close as they can to Adalind.

"Hey Eve!" "Eve!"

"Hey guys, how are you?"

I was stunned at this sudden development. Eve had told me everything from my body's resurrection, her birth, and how Hadrian's Wall turned her into an agent, a weapon. But, she never told me anything about introducing herself into Nick and his loved ones' lives.

And judging from their smiles and their longing for her, an expression they only make towards friends they considered family, Eve is a dear friend of theirs, including to Adalind.

"It's been years, when are you coming home?"

"Yeah," Trubel agreed. "The Wall is not telling anyone where they assigned you but hey, I think it won't hurt if you give us a visit."

"I'll see what I can do but for now, my current mission is a little complex to give a status: unattended."

There's sadness, longing, and then happiness that she's connecting with them again in Eve. I can tell because I can feel it from her.

* * *

As heart crushing as it was, I eventually manage to re-gather myself and confronted Eve. But, when I returned to her side, she's not in a much better condition than I am emotionally. Her eyes are red and her cheeks are damp, her hands are still squeezing at the phone that had ended its call for a while now.

I could tell that there's nothing more that she wants in this world than to be with the people inside Nick's home. Yes, including Adalind.

But something is stopping her and I have an idea what.

Disappointment.

She thinks she let them all down at one point and thus, believes that she's undeserving to be with them.

And I think I also know the reason: _she doesn't want them to see her as me._

She's afraid that every time she let them down, they will see her more as Juliette than Eve. She's afraid that they will reject her someday because she used to be me.

"You can't find peace and move forward by just accepting the past," she said to me after pushing down her getting out of control emotions. "You must accept the present too."

She told me that her intention back in Day 1 was to show me Nick's life now. To accept that this is the life my departure had created for him. That as soul crushing I might find it, Nick belongs to Adalind now and she succeeded in all the aspects where I'd failed.

However, that supernatural defense mechanism happened and I perceived them as different people. It's probably the side of me who's still insisting to deny reality. I saw them in love and happy but I don't want it to be them.

"So you can let it go as well," she said next. "Burn the image of their lives and embrace it, then free it. So that you can find a new reason to live."

"Is that what you did?" I stuttered.

She nodded weakly, "And I'm trying to live up with that. I'm not doing well so far."

I can't pinpoint what it is I'm currently feeling. But all of a sudden, seeing Eve cry, I was nearly not minding the painful reality that just punched me earlier. Instead, I am finding myself focusing on her, musing how I can make her feel better.

* * *

Our arrangement remained the same even after that night. As much as it hurts, I confront the reality every day that Nick and all the people I once held dear are now living their lives without me. That Juliette is nothing but a part of their history now, a history that had long since passed.

Years then come and go and Eve maintained the life of watching over Nick and his family from the shadows.

I, on the other hand, had threaded the path of moving on though slowly. And recently, I believe I've been doing well.

More and more, I am getting more detached from the life I left. Following Eve's advice, I search for a new reason to live and every time I acknowledge that, all I can think of is the one who advised it – Eve.

It took me a few years before realizing it but since seeing her cry that night, I had been acting like a mother to her. They were simple gestures at first, like convincing her to eat, reminding her not neglect her health, down to convincing her to wear prettier clothes.

Gradually, I started to think of her happiness. She's lonely and alone and I don't know how many times I tried convincing her to return to Nick and their friends. But she won't budge. Instead of returning to them and be happy, she instead buried herself to work, hunting Black Claw 'til the very final member as her way of redemption.

I thought the day she will be convince will never come but today, when she did another spontaneous call to Adalind, Adalind told her that tomorrow is her son's birthday and said that he will be happy to see her again.

I felt that Eve's heartbeat skipped a beat upon the mention of Nick and Adalind's son. "Would he really be happy to see me?" Eve's shaky voice asked.

"Of course, it's been 9 years Eve. Kelly can't remember you clearly now, I'll admit that but he still treasures every toy you gave him and whenever I asked why he's still holding on to them, he would always reply that because it was given to him by someone very dear to him. Eve, he misses you. Don't deny him the happiness of seeing you again."

Eve hesitated but I could tell that she barely has any resistance at this point especially when, "Mom, I'm ready," she heard his voice from the other line.

"Alright honey, I'll be right there," Adalind said to him, then returned to Eve, "Please Eve, can you make it?"

"Yes, I will be there tomorrow."

As it turns out, my assumption had been wrong all these times. Eve wasn't afraid of disappointing them. She was afraid of disappointing him, Nick and Adalind's son, Kelly.

If there's someone who could equal Nick and Adalind's love for him, it would be Eve.

That boy is everything to her. Her self-exile and all these punishments she inflict to herself was entirely due to that she could not protect his smile. Kelly had been heartbroken twice and she blamed herself for it.

"You're really fond of Nick's son," I commented.

"The sole reason I live is to protect his happiness," she admitted wholeheartedly. "After failing him, I no longer have any right to be part of his life but once, just this once, I want to see him smile at me again."

"Eve, you can't continue living like this," I said. "They're all waiting for you."

I no longer have a place in their lives but Eve has and her happiness lies there. So I couldn't just stand and watch as she let her happiness slip by.

I can't let her make the same mistakes I did when I let a lot of opportunities to be happy walk away.

"Loving someone is putting them at risk of you hurting them," she said. "This body had done enough wrong to Kelly. I don't want to fill another blank space underneath that long list."

"Don't you think he's worth the risk?" I retaliated. "See it this way – it takes 3 strikes to be out. You only got two. There's still one left. A final shot to be part of his life."

I don't know if she'd regarded my words or not but after attending Kelly's 10th birthday, Eve gradually become more reachable over the succeeding years and I could not be happier of finally seeing her smile.

At the same, I also realized something. Her feelings for that kid. It's not motherly, I could tell. Well, how should I say this, it's not romantic but its close as it originate from Eve's true form. Not the robotic woman who was forced to grow up or the other one who is unsure of herself but from the 10 year old girl who should have been her if she weren't just born by taking over my body.

Once again, I enlist another sin I inflicted to my child. In a 'what-if' world, maybe if Nick had left me back then when Marie told him to, I might have found someone else after he left while he, on the other hand, had eventually make it work in Adalind. They will have Kelly while I will have Eve and those two will grow up and someday fall in love.

That would have been the perfect life for Eve.

However, because Nick and I held onto something that is bound to fall apart, my child now is suffering. Back then, if he was unwilling, I myself should have made the stand.

If there's just a way that I could rewrite the past, I would do it where Eve is free.

_If only…_

* * *

Then one day, after 4 years since I realize it, something happened that somehow ease that worries of mine for Eve.

In a high-level assignment where Eve partnered with Trubel to eliminate the Wesen called Cronosian, Eve was severely injured by the Wesen and as a result, our body was reverted back to its teens.

Alongside this, it was also revealed that Kelly also held a romantic feeling towards Eve and this incident removed his final inhibition toward the woman who once upon a time, could have been his mother.

I was the happiest when that happened. Finally, my daughter is free. With her cladding now that form and age, she can truly live her life. The life that's hers alone.

I thought that would be the end of her sorrows especially when she and Kelly finally admitted their love for each other.

But I was wrong.

It reemerged the fear that Eve thought she rid of a long time ago.

The fear of becoming like me.

Carrying my memories, using my existence to function back then when she had nothing, she can't completely separate herself from me. She fear for the bitterness and the resentment from the past to resurface either from her or from the people whom I'd hurt.

Due to this, she would wake up every day disgusted of herself and each day, it slowly eats her away.

Then, the time travel thing of Nick and Adalind from 2011 happened and Eve had to see the Nick who was still in love with me, the Nick who was full of dreams that we can have a happy future together, the Nick that I was just about to hurt.

"I'm not gonna rot cleaning up your mess! One day, one day I'm gonna find a way to completely get rid of you!" She got home one night with the foulest mood I'd ever seen her have. She screamed, cursing my existence and my heart bleed because it's all true. "You'll be gone from my life, from their lives. I'm gonna erase you one way or another!"

I wish for the same thing too.

I appeared and embraced her sobbing figure. "Eve, what's wrong?"

"Leave me alone!" She continued to curse but meekly resist when I try to comfort her.

"Eve, it's alright."

"I wish I could erase the past away," she cried, burying her face against my chest. "I don't know how long I could still hold on."

Erase the past. Start anew. A world where she's free. If that world can be created, I won't hesitate to risk everything to build it.

And it can be created. In fact, I'd been working on it for years.

The deep reset had erased that timeline and Eve does not remember it but from the deepest corners of Eve's memories I had by chance found it.

That staff in Nick's possession, it has the power to manipulate time and the potential to even rewrite history.

I had been working on a spell and a matrix of how I could accomplish it if ever I'm able to harness its power. It's completed but without any form of testing, the rate of success is quite slim.

But, there's no better opportunity to make it happen than now as I am sure that Nick will return past Nick and Adalind to 2011 using that staff. It's the only opportunity.

"Eve," I started. "How much do you really want that?"

With a firm resolve, she replied, "More than anything."

"Then listen to me."

* * *

"What in the world? EVE!" Nick exclaimed when after sending 2011 Nick and Adalind back, Eve had all of the sudden attacked him and took the staff.

The staff resisted Eve's hold but with the potion she ingested earlier – a potion which can disguise her bloodline for someone else's – kicking in, it submitted to her.

Eve didn't waste time straightening their confusions and immediately activated the staff and apply the spell matrix I created.

A large pillar of light fired up towards the sky and from an empty area in outerspace, a huge hole is opening up and pushing out a second Earth.

This is the Earth of 2011. We summoned it by feeding our Hexenbeist spirit into the staff.

"Eve!" It was Kelly who called at her this time.

"Kelly," Eve smiled weakly.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Kelly but I can't live in this world anymore."

"W-what are you talking about?" He asked, glancing back and forth between her and the second Earth that's being pulled closer and closer to us.

"This world is not good for me," she said. "Against us. The weight of Juliette's sins, my sins. It eats me away and I can't love the way you deserve."

"So you're just going to destroy it. Is that it?" It was Diana who spoke.

"And start it anew," she countered. "That Earth I summoned is the Earth of 2011, the year where it all began. Once I fuse these two Earths, 2011 will restart and a new history will be written."

"Eve, this is insane!" Nick exclaimed. "I thought you said you didn't want to change the past! Were it all just talks back then?!"

"It is now!" Eve cried back. "Nick, your son is too outstanding and too good for me, and I wanted to be good enough for him as well. But I can't do that if my past as Juliette could someday haunt me. What if I hurt him the way she hurt you. I'd rather die than to have that!"

"Eve, it doesn't matter to me!" Kelly spoke again. "If we have to turn our backs to everything so you will never feel troubled again, I will gladly do that! You're the only one that matters!"

"I'm sorry my love," Eve sobbed. "But I'm not that strong." Then she turned to Nick and Adalind who are still staring at her in horror. "Nick, Adalind, I'm leaving the rest to the two of you."

"What are you talking about?"

Eve didn't reply and fully pour our Hexenbeist spirit into the staff. The pillar of light grows wider and brighter, pulling the Earth of 2011 faster.

"Eve! NO!"

**BANG!**

Eve smiled and the two Earth finally collided, swallowing everything into a bright white light where the new timeline is being constructed.

Inside this bright light, I appeared behind Eve and embraced her. "I'm sorry," I start to sob, burying me face against her hair. "I'm sorry that you've suffered because of me."

"Juliette," she said softly. "In this new world, are you going to be my mom?"

"I'm not sure," I answered honestly. "But you will be a part of it and so does Kelly, and you two will be together, I can assure you that."

"I hope you'll be my mom. There's still a lot you have to make up with me."

"If fate allows it, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

"Thank you, Ju…no, thank you mom, for loving me."

"Eve." I embraced her tighter before the whiteness swallowed us completely.

Eve and I eventually disappeared but before everything went blank, I saw a glimpse of the new world.

In 2011, after discovering his heritage, Nick left me. I was heartbroken but years later I found a new love. He gave me daughter – Eve.

Meanwhile, Nick saved Adalind from clutches of Catherine and Sean. They marry and were blessed with twins – Kelly and Diana.

Our paths crossed and we became parts of each other's lives again. Kelly and Eve grow up together, bonded, and eventually fall in love.

They were happy.

I wanted to see more but I guess the preview could only show that far.

Well, I guess I'll just have to see to it myself in the new world.


	8. CHAPTER 8 – The Second Distortion

**CHAPTER 8 – The Second Distortion**

Adalind's blanked out consciousness returned with start. "Where am I?" She gasped and panted repeatedly, confused as she start to look around. "Nick! Diana! Kelly!"

"Adalind, I'm here." Turning around, Nick appeared and hugged her.

"Nick!" She exclaimed and also wrapped her arms around him. "Thank God, you're okay."

After that another planet crashes to them, she thought she'd lost them all. Thankfully, they're still here.

Eve had gone mad! What the hell was she thinking, using the staff to that scale! "Kelly, Diana?" Adalind asked for her children as she pulled away. "Where are they?"

"Adalind calm down," Nick cupped her cheeks, straightening her face to meet his gaze. Then sadly, he shook his head. "They're not here."

"What do you mean they're not here?" Adalind panicked.

"Look," Nick shifted his body and Adalind followed his gaze.

Her eyes immediately widened when her gaze landed on the sickly woman lying on the hospital bed. Adalind also realized that currently, she's in the hospital, she's wearing a lab gown, and in her hand, she's holding a syringe which contains a greenish liquid. _'No no no no! It can't be!' _This place. This moment. "Marie?"

Her gaze returned to Nick and took notice now of his younger visage. He sighed tiredly, "Adalind, we're in 2011."

They are back to that year and this moment is during when she attempted to assassinate Nick's aunt.

"Bu-but how?" She knew the answer. She witnessed it clearly. Eve proclaimed it clearly. However, her mind is still unable to accept it as reality.

"Eve used the staff to create a new timeline." Nick then explained what Eve had designed.

Using the staff, Eve destroyed the original timeline by crashing it with a version of Earth pulled from the past. The timeline was then reset back to 2011. However, even if she does that, the timeline will still move forward in a same direction if she does not place certain singularities which will divert the original flow into a different direction.

According to Nick, Eve placed five. First are individuals who will still remember the original timeline. That's her and Nick. Second is the birth of Kelly and Diana. Even in this new timeline, Adalind is still destined to be their mother. Thirdly is Eve's birth itself. From whom she will be born, that is still unknown. But she will be born and someday will seek Kelly.

"How did you know all of these?" Adalind immediately wondered. It can't be that Nick has a hand on this cosmic madness.

"It's because of the fourth singularity," Nick explained. "The checklist."

The checklist are instructions instilled into Nick that the two of them must accomplish in order to initiate the creation of the new world that Eve wanted. There are three enlisted in the checklist. 1) The explanation of what's going on. 2) The instruction of her and Nick eloping. 3) Nick claiming his crown earlier.

As for the rest that they wanted to happen in this timeline, it's completely up to them how to make it work. It doesn't matter as long as those three are done.

At this point, Adalind had greatly calmed down. Earlier, she was full of fear and hysteria when she thought that her children are gone forever. But now that she finally knew about the arrangements Eve prepared, she is somehow relieved, even gleeful. As much as she unconditionally loved her daughter, she binds her to Renard permanently when all she ever wanted is to completely sever him from their lives. Now, she can have Diana while making that happen. And speaking of him, he's waiting outside right now but that's not a concern for the time being. "What's the last one?"

Adalind asked for the final singularity.

"This," Nick opened his hand and the staff materialized against his grasp.

Her lips parted. "You still have the staff?"

Nick nodded. "The fifth singularity is that Eve didn't just retain our memories of the old timeline but she'd also brought our very existence here. It's only our physical appearance and condition that reverted back. As for our maturity, the powers we acquired, all of those were passed on here."

"Does that include my immunity to your blood?" Adalind is not concern losing her powers but if she wants Nick to be the father of her children in this new world, she must ensure that he's able to procreate with her. If she's not immune to his blood, that might raise some complications.

"Yes. And thankfully that's the case."

Adalind sighed in relief before her thoughts returned to Eve. _'That silly girl.'_ "As unreasonable is this, I got to admire her devotion to our son."

To burn the world for the man she loved. That's a woman she understands.

Nick thought so as well.

"So what now?"

"For now, you have to leave," Nick began. "Is Renard waiting for you outside?"

"He is."

At that reply, Nick looked around. Certain that the coast is clear, he tapped his staff to the wall and a portal opened, "This leads back to your house. Take everything you needed. I believe you're not broke yet so you can secure enough money as well. Not until I meet my grandfather, we will need all the funds we can get in order to hide you. Tell me where you'll stay and I'll follow you soon."

"Alright," she nodded then her gaze shifted to Marie. "How about your aunt?"

"I'll use the staff to heal her," Nick resolved. "I couldn't save her before. I won't let it happen this time. Also, I will need her help to end things with Juliette."

'_Oh yeah, there's still her.' _"Will you be okay?"

Nick scoffed. "I already lived 15 years beyond her. The Nick of the old will get conflicted but I won't. But, I have to give her a valid reason for leaving. The 'her' now at least deserves that."

Adalind agreed. "Just take care of yourself, alright?" She leaned up and kissed him. "I love you."

"And I love you," he whispered back. "Now go," he urged her to the portal. "Before someone sees us."

Adalind entered the portal and that night marks the dawn of the new world.


	9. CHAPTER 9 – The New World(1)

**CHAPTER 9 – The New World(1)**

_**New Timeline – Three Years Later**_

In the HQ of Hadrian Wall in New York, Meisner and Chavez gathered all the members of the New York branch to the control room.

Over the years, drastic changes had occurred all over the world, affecting everyone, human or not. First was the decreasing influence of the royals over the Wesen community and then the sudden rise to power of Black Claw.

Meisner had been part to most of it. Starting from being a member of the Resistance which had focused their offensive against House Kronenberg to sitting as the leader of Hadrian Wall New York branch to repel the new threats brought by Black Claw, his goal had been constant and that is to maintain the balance of the Wesen and Kehrseite communities.

"Everyone's here," Chavez informed and Meisner gave a last look over before starting.

"This is why I brought all of you here today," he said and the details were displayed by the screen behind him. It was the map of the largest city of Oregon – Portland. "Over the past three years, the Royals and even Black Claw that was still under the radar back then had both experienced suppression by an unknown force that had been repelling any advances they attempted into controlling the Wesen community. Now, after all those years being completely in the dark who and where this force that had been against them could be, they finally got a lead a year ago and it brought them here," he pointed to the screen, "in Portland."

Everyone are focused and listening attentively especially the Grimms. Whatever is it that about to come due to the increasing tension brought by the Royals and Black Claw, they will be a key factor when that day comes.

Meisner then continued. "And here's the interesting part, they were right on track. This power that had been antagonizing them over the past years is truly inside Portland. From then, they spare no effort both in the surface and in shadows to identify this power to either destroy or take control of it."

"What's their progress?" An agent asked.

"Well, this part is where it gets more interesting – they got nothing."

Series of gasped were then heard and they start to talk among their nearest acquaintance.

"Despite the amount of effort and resources they've expended into probing and infiltrating Portland, they got nothing. Every time they make an attempt, the people they send either die in an accident or go missing."

"So that means we got nothing too," someone assumed.

"Not exactly," Meisner rebuts. "Unlike towards those two parties, they're not, at least not entirely, guarded against us so we manage to get inside. Over the months, we too got nothing. Until, a week ago, by chance, that agent of ours went to a tea shop run by a Wesen couple and encountered a man he believed is in possession of some Grimm books."

The screen's contents shifted, displaying now the profile of a Portland Police Bureau Detective. "This is…"

Meisner was about to introduce him – Nick Burkhardt – but was interrupted when New York branch's best agent, Trubel, suddenly stood and exclaimed, "Nick!?"

All attentions immediately pointed at her. "You know him?" Meisner frowned.

Trubel nodded. "He's my cousin Nick, Nick Burkhardt."

_Trubel's cousin?' _"Your cousin? Then you can confirm if he's also a Grimm?"

"I can and yes, he is. And not only that, he's also my mentor."

Saying those last four words, everything else she said were outshined. Did they just hear her correctly? He's her mentor?

In all of Hadrian Wall, not just of NY branch, Trubel has a myth of invincibility. She's already better than anyone when she joined and she'd only gotten better over time. She's their best Grimm and their deadliest agent. Since joining the Wall she'd never once lost a fight or failed a mission.

No one knew where she learned and who taught her how to fight. However, everyone had already envisioned that whoever it is who shaped Trubel into a warrior that she is now, he's no ordinary existence.

But now, Trubel is telling them that that enigmatic figure is none other than this Portland Detective.

"Can you tell us more about him," Meisner insisted.

"Yeah but not much. He's very secretive." Trubel said then started, "I really don't know him or that we're related until he found me two and a half years ago when he bailed me out for shoplifting. He said he's my cousin. At first I didn't believe him but after showing me proofs that our grandparents are cousins, I accepted it. From then, he took me in, taught me about our ancestry, about being a Grimm. That the things that I've been seeing are real and they're called Wesen and we Grimms exist to oversee them. He even introduced me to his best friend Monroe, a Blutbad, and his wife Rosalee," she paused briefly then looked at Meisner, "You said the agent saw him in a tea shop, that's probably Rosalee's shop. He brought me there several times to read and learn some basic in apothecary stuffs. "

"Wait a minute," Chavez interrupted. "He's associated with a Blutbad?"

"Yeah, but not just Monroe, the Eisbiber community answers to him too. You know the current Portland Mayor now? Bud Wurstner. He's also Nick's friend."

"Why are you telling us all of these just now?" Meisner questioned. Everything she'd just said are very vital information that could make or break their cause.

"Nick told me not to," Trubel replied. "From the beginning, I think he knew that I won't stay. That I will explore the world with my newfound knowledge and I might get acquainted to people like the Wall. So he asked me that if it isn't necessary, I should never tell anyone about him."

"But you have to tell us everything now," Meisner said in a strict tone. "Our success against them might rely heavily on this."

"I know, and I'll share whatever I can."

"Now, as a Grimm, how is he?"

"Powerful, and mysterious, even for a Grimm. He's the first Grimm I'd been acquainted to so initially, I thought what he can do was a norm. Only later I found out that other Grimms don't possess the same abilities he has."

"And what kind of abilities are those?"

"First of all, he could heal. During the six months that I'd trained under him, we would spar and he will beat me up until I'm half dead every single time. But whenever I dropped to that state, he will touch my forehead and all my injuries will just magically disappear. Then we will resume, rinse, repeat until I improve. He trained me that way every day for the next six months."

Hearing this, everyone in the room, including Meisner, were shock. A power to heal? Aside from that, they also cringe to the hellish training Trubel had undertaken. No wonder she's pretty good. Surviving that, her only end is to grow strong.

"Another is that he seems to be invulnerable," she said. "When we train with blades, he makes me use real ones and instruct me to attack with the intention to kill. He will always pose as an attacking Wesen and every time I succeed, that should have kill him but no, regardless how heavy or how sharp the weapon is, I could not even scratch him."

Meisner rubbed his chin and mused. Healing and invulnerability, anyone who possess such ability are invincible in wars and Grimms are people that are in constant strife. "How about his family? Aside from you, does he have any other relatives?"

"His mom and aunt, both Grimms. They're overseas, doing Grimm activities in other continents, Asia and Europe, which one is where and where in those exactly," she shrugged, "I don't know."

Trubel stopped, implying that that's the end. However, Meisner could tell that she's still holding back something. "And? Anything else?"

Trubel remained silent. Hesitation is evident in her face.

"Trubel, you promised that you'll tell us everything. Now, is there anything else?"

She sighed and finally spilled it out. "It's Nick's girlfriend or wife, I don't know if they're married but he has a live-in partner."

'_A girlfriend?' _"Can you tell us about this girlfriend? What does she looks like?"

"Around 5'4, blonde, very beautiful, and Nick is very protective of her. In the months that I'd stayed with him, I'd only seen her once."

"Do you have her name?"

"Adalind. Her name is Adalind."

Meisner frowned. Adalind? A blonde woman?

Suddenly, he remembered a favor once asked to him by a former acquaintance back when he was still with the Resistance.

Sean Renard, a bastard and an exiled prince of House Kronenberg and a primary supporter of the Resistance had once requested for his help to find a missing acquaintance of his. A Hexenbeist named Adalind Schade.

She'd been missing for a month back then and Renard had already mobilized his policemen to find her but none produces any result. So he resorted to him who has more means to find missing people.

He did it as a favor to a brother-in-arm and a friend but the search ceased a couple of months later when she reemerged and revealed that she'd always been in Portland the entire time.

As it turns out, Adalind was avoiding Renard and her mother on purpose after she finds out that they were having an affair.

Meisner got to admit, he was attracted to Adalind back then and he accepted the request not only for his friend but to ensure that such an admirable woman is safe and away from harm.

So when he finds the reason of her running away, Meisner was utterly disgusted over his friend's actions and he pulled off his assistance immediately. Doing something like that to her, Ms. Schade deserves not to be found by them.

But now, Trubel is telling him that Nick Burkhardt, the Grimm with mysterious powers, is in a relationship with a blonde woman named Adalind. Adalind is not a common name. So immediately, Meisner manipulated the keyboard in front of him and extracted her profile. "Is this her?" He flashed her profile to the screen.

"Yeah," Trubel replied. "That's her. That's Adalind."

"Then this just got more intriguing," he declared.

"Why?" Trubel wondered.

"Adalind Schade is a Hexenbeist."

A Grimm and a Hexenbeist together? A Witch and a Witch Hunter. That's a whole new type of weird.

* * *

A headache instantly rose to Sean Renard's forehead the moment he saw Catherine's figure inching closer to his office. _'Oh fuck! Not again!'_ "Catherine, you have to stop barging into my office. How many time do I have to remind you of that?!"

"Three years, Sean," Catherine snarled. "Three years. I haven't seen my daughter in three years."

Sean rubbed his aching forehead. "Look Catherine, the problem here is that Adalind is not missing."

After not getting out of that hospital three years ago, Sean personally filed Adalind as missing and for three months, he mobilized not only the precinct but even asked a friend from covert operations to find her. However, the search revealed that she was not actually missing but due to personal reasons she was purposely avoiding him and her mother.

Due to that being the case, he could no longer mobilize the precinct to find her and even Meisner bailed out.

"My hands are tied," he reasoned.

"Sean," Catherine glared. "We know what's going on in House Kronenberg nowadays. It's the perfect chance to strike. But how can we do that if we don't have my daughter!"

"You think I didn't know that?" The influence of House Kronenberg, for some reasons, had been deteriorating over the last couple of years. The infighting is getting worse and even though the Resistance collapsed in the end, House Kronenberg had still suffered some devastating blows especially when his brother Eric and his cousins, Viktor and Kenneth, met their demise when they attempted to infiltrate Portland nearly a year ago.

Losing his heir and those next in line, less and less people are supporting the throne, Frederick Renard's reign is more vulnerable than ever. Overthrowing him would only be a matter of time but to secure his claim to the throne, Sean needed a power that will back him up. Adalind and her mother is one and a Grimm possessing several legacies working under him will be another.

But right now, Adalind is avoiding them and the Grimm, Nick Burkhardt, is unapproachable.

"If there's someone who wants Adalind back more than anyone here, that's me." The throne is within his grasp but he could not claim it.

"Then do that!" Catherine exclaimed. "Whatever it takes!"

"I'm doing the best I can here." He already hired people to get Adalind back but they either gave up or goes missing themselves. This led Sean to assume that someone is supporting her and whoever it is has some serious mojo.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a familiar figure through the window blinds of his office. Immediately, he moved closer to the window and pulled the blinds down to have a clearer look. Catherine tailed behind him and followed his gaze. "Isn't that…?"

"Adalind?"

Adalind is inside his precinct.


	10. CHAPTER 10 – The New World(2)

**CHAPTER 10 – The New World(2)**

Juliette sat uncomfortably as she waits for Hank to arrive. She can't believe that after three years she would reconnect with him but in this manner.

It all started so normal this morning. She had her coffee, she went to work, and before going home, she decided to purchase now the necklace she'd been eyeing for months. However, as if luck is so against her, two masked men with shotguns robbed the jewelry store and shot the guard.

The two robbers got away and the case was filed as a robbery-homicide. Luckily for her and the only other customer in the shop that time, they managed to hide on a corner and went unnoticed until the situation passed. But now, they are brought here to give their statements and stand as witnesses if necessary.

"I thought I'd seen it wrongly but it's really you." Arriving, Hank said.

"Hey Hank," she greeted back.

"Juliette, it's been a while."

Yeah, it truly had been a while. Three years, three years since that day. Until now she could still not understand everything. Where did they go wrong? Where did she go wrong? After everything they've been through, he'd left just like that.

It all started when his Aunt Marie visited and hospitalized afterwards, Nick started to change from that point. Then, when she was discharged, Nick ended things with her and went with his aunt.

It all happened so fast and the only explanation he'd left is that his family is cursed with something bad, violent, and to where he's going he can't take her with him. Juliette found it so ridiculous at first, found it as a lame excuse. But when he left without taking anything, his share of their house, their joint account, and the fact that he transferred all his shares of those assets to her, she was struck by a sudden dread.

During the years of their relationship, he'd been completely open to her but when it comes to his family, everything seems to be extremely vague paired with the fact that his parents died in an accident.

With that realization, could it really be that Nick and his family are involved into something extremely dangerous?

Just what kind of people are Nick's family?

"Yeah, it had been," she replied to Hank with a sigh.

Examining her expression, he breathed deeply and said, "Nick told me what happened. I'm sorry that it has to end that way but from someone who fully understands his reason, believe it if I say it that he truly doesn't have a choice."

Juliette's eyes widened and stared at Hank, "You know why he left?"

"Unfortunately I do," he said, his tone is bitter, and even terrified. "If I was the one in his position, I would truly not want to drag you to it."

Juliette sighed. Actually she didn't need that confirmation from Hank. She might not know the full detail but she knows that Nick wasn't just making excuses to leave her. He truly has a heavy reason.

When he left, she could not accept it and entertained other possibilities, like another woman. So she hired a private investigator a week after he was gone.

The verdict was no other woman was truly involved and it also confirmed that Nick had started dealing with several dangerous matters where attempts to his life and other threats of physical harms and involved.

From then, she truly began to fully distance herself from Nick and the people around him and moved on with her life. But right now, she's unwittingly dragged to this place where Nick is a vital existence.

"But enough of that and let's deal with this matter first," Hank dismissed, lightening his expression. "By the way, where's the other witness? According to the initial report, there were two of you."

Juliette involuntary shuddered at the mention of her. She could not understand it but the moment she first laid her eyes on her, she couldn't help but feel insecure. "I don't know but she should be on her way here," she glanced to the entrance and coincidentally, lo and behold, "Oh, there she is."

Hank followed her gaze and whistled, "Is that her?"

Yeah, that's her alright. Blonde, majestically dressed, ethereally beautiful. She's the kind of woman Juliette might have to spend the rest of her life envying.

She heard her name is Adalind.

However, she looked tense. She glanced left and right as if she's avoiding somebody.

"Well ladies, I just have to get your statements and you can be on your way," Hank said after Adalind sat beside her. "But, we might have to call you back later in case we needed something else."

Hank knew Juliette's full name so he skipped asking her and proceed to Adalind.

"And you name is?"

"Adalind," she said and paused briefly, "Adalind Burkhardt."

Juliette lightly flinched while Hank's typing fingers froze above the keyboard. "Burkhardt?"

"Yeah," she said. "Is something wrong? I'm sorry but I'm in a hurry. Can we get this over quickly?"

"Uhn nothing," Hank slightly stuttered his reply. "And of course. It's just that you have the same last name as my partner. Detective Nick Burkhardt." He said, glancing to his desk. "Are you by any chance related…?"

However, before Hank could finish his sentence, a mature woman's angry voice interrupted, "Adalind!"

* * *

'_Fuck!' _Adalind mentally cursed when her mother alongside Sean angrily stomped towards her.

When she woke up this morning, she thought the day will just be like the others over the last three years ever since she and Nick eloped. But no, fate has a fucked up sense of humor and concocted this present carnival where the people she didn't want to associate with are in the same place.

_Seriously!?_

Next week is her and Nick's anniversary and as a gift, she wanted to buy a new watch for him. So without telling him of her shopping, she went out and visited her favorite jewelry shop to buy the watch. Then today, of all the days in the calendar, is also when those damn robbers decided to rob that shop.

And guess who the only other customer there was the time it was robbed?

Juliette.

Her husband's ex.

As witnesses, they have to testify and of course, it will be handled by Nick's precinct. And, since a guard was shot and killed, it also fell to the homicide division.

Guess again who will take their statements.

Her husband's partner, Hank.

Who until now remains oblivious of her existence and that his partner, who is like a brother to him, had hid his marriage for two years.

To make matters worse, it is also today of all the days in the calendar that she forgot her phone at home. She can't contact Nick to tell him that she's here right now.

And that's not the end of it. To dump the situation from 'worst' to 'worst of the worst', her mother happens to also be here in the precinct. Adalind noticed her arguing with Sean in his office when she arrived.

She was hoping for a miracle that the giving of statement will be over before they could notice her. But alas, she was asking for the impossible.

Adalind immediately stood and distance herself from them.

"You finally show yourself after all these time," her mother glared menacingly at her. "Where have you been?"

"Away from you obviously," she retorted. "Three years would have made that clear."

Adalind's fury began to rise. She didn't want to confront them not due to fear but because she might not control her rage. In her past life, she'd loved them, dealt with their bullshits, but in the end, what they've gave her are heartaches. Worse, in her effort to please them she'd hurt Nick, repeatedly.

Nick wasn't the only one who bore great resentment to his former self. She too carry one for that 'her' who listened to these two, and unlike Nick, she wasn't given the relief of forgetting.

"We are not fooling around Adalind," it was Sean's displeased tone this time. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused us?!"

"I bailed out, Sean," Adalind glanced to the bastard dismissively. "Not my problem now."

"Adalind," her mother closed to her and grab her arm. "Be reasonable," she threatened in a low voice. "You think you'll survive what's coming on your own?"

"You'll be surprised, mother," she replied in an equally low voice before forcefully freeing herself from her hold and stepping back to make distance again.

"Excuse me," Hank suddenly inserted, looking at Sean, "I'm sorry to intrude Captain but Ms. Burkhardt here is a witness to the robbery-homicide we were investigating and we needed her statement but whatever this is if it needed to be settled first, we will wait."

Sean frowned, his expression a mixture of disbelief and confusion. "Ms. Burkhardt? Who the hell are you talking about?"

Hank gestured at Adalind.

"You might be mistaking, her name is Schade not Burkhardt."

"Not anymore!" Adalind declared proudly, her gaze darting swiftly to her husband's desk.

The faces of everyone who understood her meaning froze. Their expressions masked with utter disbelief. And they would've stayed longer in that state if it weren't for the sudden arrival of a certain someone.

"Adalind?" Nick's worried voice said.

Hearing her husband's voice, the rage in her heart dissipated. Then leaving them still under their stupefied expressions, Adalind run to her husband's arms.

* * *

Returning to the precinct, this scene was even beyond the last thing Nick was expecting to confront upon his return. But as farfetched it is, it is truly happening.

His wife, for some reason, is in the precinct and surrounded by the last people on Earth she wanted to associate with.

"Nick," she run to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him. Her breathing is fast and her heart is beating loudly against her chest.

"Adalind," he soothingly rubbed the small of her back. "Why are you here?"

"I'm so sorry. I didn't want this to happen but it goes out of hand."

Nick's gaze immediately sharpened to the people in front especially to Renard and Catherine. "We'll talk about it later," he said softly. "Go home now. I'll handle it from here."

Adalind pulled away, looked up to him, and nodded.

However, before Adalind could comply, a new complication entered the fray.

"Nick! Adalind!"

He turned around and found Bud approaching, and tailing behind him are two huge burly men in black suits, each carrying a toddler in their arms.

'_Oh you've got to be shitting me!' _Nick wanted to curse and skin the Eisbiber alive. Adalind also made the same surprised and displeased expression.

_Why did he bring the twins here!?_

"Adalind, are you okay!? The kids told me what happened! Oh Nick, I'm so sorry this has to happen." Bud breathlessly said, attending back and forth between him and Adalind. "I am so ashamed. Don't worry, I'll fix this. I'll fix this!"

"Mayor Wurstner, calm down," Nick steadied his panicking friend, lightly holding his shoulders.

Bud stopped and breathed deeply. Then Nick glanced to the two securities that are carrying his kids.

"Why did you bring the twins here?"

"Oh that!" He exclaimed then lowered his voice, "They sensed that their mommy is distressed and ordered me to bring them here. I could not stop them. They threaten to turn me into a real beaver if I don't obey them."

Nick sighed. That being the case, Bud can't be blamed for this action. The twins both possess extraordinary powers that far surpassed the Kelly and Diana from the previous timeline so their threats to the poor Eisbiber are not empty.

"Down! Down! Down!" Both his kids demanded to the burly men, tapping their tiny palms against their faces.

The two complied, and their feet touching the floor, Kelly and Diana rushed to Adalind immediately.

"Mama! Mama!"

Adalind bent down and opened her arms to welcome their two little angels. The two then squeal with delight when their mother engulfed them into a huge hug. "Oh my babies, did you come for mommy?"

"Mama okay?" Kelly asked, while Diana said at the same time, "Dana, potet Mama. _(Diana will protect Mommy.)_"

"Oh, I'm sorry I made you two worry," Adalind said apologetically. "Mommy is okay now."

Assure that their mother is truly safe, their attentions immediately shifted to Nick, "Dada!"

It is now his turn to bend down and welcome them.

"Dada! Dada! We potet Mama! _(Daddy! Daddy! We protect Mommy!)_" The two bounced up and down in front of him.

"Yes, you two did well," he praised, lightly tapping their heads then pinching their little noses. "Daddy is very proud of you two."

"Yehey!" The twins rejoiced before staring expectantly at him.

Nick internally shook his head helplessly at their expecting faces. "And you can have all the ice cream you want."

"Yehey!" Their celebratory moods resumed.

He then carried Kelly while Adalind took Diana before handing them over to Bud's men. Nick then instructed to Adalind and Bud, "Treat them for ice cream and buy everything they point their fingers at."

Adalind and Bud nodded. After that, Nick kissed Adalind and the kids goodbye, "I'll see you all at home."

"Dada ba-bye."

But seeing Adalind leaving, Catherine snapped from her trance and angrily chased after Adalind. "Adalind, get back here!"

But when she was about to pass him, Nick grabbed her arms and pushed her back. "You're not going anywhere near my wife," he threatened.

It's been three years and all of his preparations are nearly completed. Having to deal with them today is unplanned but with the unexpected turn of events, it must be done now.


	11. CHAPTER 11 – The New World(3)

**CHAPTER 11 – The New World(3)**

"In your office, now!" Nick said to Renard in a raised and commanding tone.

This snapped him out of his daze too and before he could properly react, Nick took the initiative to proceed to his office, leaving the Captain and his mother in law without a choice but to follow.

"Burkhardt, you have some explaining to do…"

Renard immediately started the instance the door of his office closed. But instead of being swayed by the banter, Nick shuts him up by, without warning, pulling the key from his pocket and tossing it at him.

Taken by surprise, his reaction was delayed and the key struck his chest first before catching it.

"That's what you want, right?" Nick stated flatly before pulling the second key and tossing it too at him. "Here's another one."

Shocked, Renard and Catherine stared dumbly at the two keys resting now in Renard's hands.

"If that's what it'll take for you to leave my wife alone, take it!"

After saying his piece, he didn't wait for them to open a conversation or worse, an argument and exited the office right away. However, when Nick returned to his desk, he found both Hank and Wu waiting for him like lurking hunters. Juliette, on the other hand, is nowhere in sight.

"What?" Nick said, replying to their judging gazes.

"Dude, seriously?" The two began to ruthlessly nag at him for keeping both his marriage and children hidden. They understood his circumstances as a Grimm but as his close friends, they were extremely hurt that he'd kept it from them.

"In my defense," Nick glanced to Renard's office. "She's the Captain's ex and that hag with him is my mother in law."

Nick didn't repeat the inhibitions he did during the old timeline towards Hank and Wu in regards to the Wesen community. The first time they took notice, he held nothing back and oriented them with all the details including what and who their Captain is.

The two also gazed to Renard's office's direction and come to a conclusion. "Fair enough."

"But I thought you broke up with Juliette because you don't want to drag her into this?" Wu probed. "What about her?"

"Man, Nick just said that she's the Captain's ex. In a way or another, she's involved into the Wesen world. Maybe even before Nick." Hank said then asked for Nick to confirm. "Is that it?"

Nick did confirm. "She can't be dragged into if she's already in it."

"Is she Wesen?" Wu continued.

Nick nodded, "She's a Hexenbeist."

They both paused and began recalling which one her wife's kind is among those profiled in his Grimm books. "The witch Wesen?"

They recalled at the same time.

_**The next day…**_

The two piece together that for hiding his wife and kids, Nick had faked a lot of stuffs including his true residence in which Hank and Wu believed to be a single room apartment. Due to this, the two insisted for Nick to bring them to his real house and formally introduce them to Adalind and their children.

For that, Nick arranged a dinner in which he had also invited Monroe, Rosalee, and their triplets.

"This is your house?" Hank and Wu gaped at the mansion that revealed itself in the midst of a wide estate.

"Adalind has a penchant for fancy stuffs and since I can afford, I'd say why not?"

"Man, you're holding up a lot from us," Hank discerned.

"I have," Nick admitted. "And it's supposedly about to be over soon but that robbery that involved Adalind revealed these prematurely. Not that it'll disrupt my plans but it will surely inconvenient me a little."

"What are you talking about?" Hank spoken his and Wu's confusion.

"You'll find out soon," was Nick's only reply before they enter his house. "Addie, we're here!"

Nick greeted when they reached the living room, then Adalind emerged from the upstairs.

"Nick!" Adalind descended with quick steps and welcomed her husband with a lips crushing kiss. Pulling away, she then turned to Hank and Wu. "Hank, Wu, hi there."

"It's a lovely home you have."

"Thanks," she replied, then declared, "Dinner's ready."

"Monroe and Rosalee?" Nick asked.

"On their way."

"DADA!" At that moment, two little figures also popped out from upstairs and flew down to welcome him. Yes. Flew. They are prohibited to display their powers outside but within the house, the twins are given more leeway and their favorite ability to display is telekinesis and flight especially Kelly who loves to don a cape and pretend being a superhero. In fact, he's wearing one right now. Nick caught them both by each arm and wrapped them into a big hug. The twins giggled in delight. "Welcome home!"

"Hello, my angels." Nick kissed their cheeks. "Have you been good?"

"Cookie! Dada, cookie!" They announced excitedly.

"Cookie?"

"They helped me bake the cookies." Adalind clarified.

"Did you!?" Nick made a surprise and proud look to the twins. "It will be good I'm sure."

"Being a Dad suits you, Nick." Hank remarked out of nowhere but Nick could not agree more.

* * *

A week had passed since the unwanted gathering in the precinct. Renard and Catherine had been silent and according to his spies, Renard had gained some serious support from the aristocrats in Vienna after revealing that he's in possession of two keys. Though in reality, that's all those keys could offer into any coveting royalty.

How could Nick tell?

That's because he went to the Black Forest before and dug that chest and all he found in it was the cloth.

He had long since known that the staff is a fixed point in the realm of time and space and therefore, cannot duplicate itself through the manipulation of time and reality. But for safety measures, he dug it out and was relieved to not find a second stick there.

However, Nick guess that what Renard got is more than what he would have expect upon possessing two keys. For centuries, no other Royal had even been in possession of any of the keys until him and he got not just one but two.

That shall occupy Renard and Catherine for them to not bother Adalind while he, on the other hand, will have an undivided attention towards the last phase of his plans. Which is good.

Well, another good thing is that since his marriage is no longer a secret, Adalind is now unrestrained in meeting him in public which includes visiting him in the precinct. "Heard about this pain in the ass case so I brought lunch for you boys," Adalind said, holding in her hands three sets of bento and a basket of homemade muffins.

"Oh you're a lifesaver," says Wu. "We were starving."

"If only either of my ex-wives was like you, I won't be single right now." Hank remarked as he appreciatively receives his portion.

"Hey, these bentos are homemade too," Wu noticed upon opening his box and then asked Adalind, "You made these?"

Adalind grinned and replied, "With all your securities and housemaids being Inugamis, you will learn a lot of Japanese stuffs." Then, she warily gave a quick glance at Renard's office. "Sean doesn't seem to be around."

"He'd been busy," Nick said meaningfully. "Or should I say, I made him busy."

"Oh right," Adalind suddenly remembered something. "You haven't told me what you did last week after Bud and I left. So, what did you do?"

"I gave him the keys, both of them," he admitted. "That shall keep him and your mother busy for a while."

Adalind's shoulders drooped. Saddened, she said, "I'm really sorry. If I weren't only careless back then, you wouldn't have lost them." The keys might be useless now but they're still a family heirloom of the Kessler Family.

"It's fine," Nick tenderly cupped Adalind's cheek. "You're more important than those keys. But, if you really find it uncomfortable that they're with them, I'll find a chance to get them back, okay?"

Adalind smiled and kissed Nick's palm. "Alright."

Nick decided to go home early with Adalind and as they drove, Nick sudden asked, "Where are the twins now by the way."

"With the triplets," she said. "Rosalee volunteered to keep them for the afternoon."

"About them," Nick remembered, "before I forget to ask again. They'd already turned two last month. Any changes you've noticed since then?"

Adalind mused briefly and said, "Aside from their abilities' growth, nothing much. But something happened about two weeks ago and I'm not sure if it really is him or just coincidence but I think Kelly had compelled his nanny to woge."

"Compel how?" Nick probed.

"Kelly looked at her then his eyes turned completely black and the next thing that happen, his nanny woged. She wasn't even aware that she did."

Nick was intrigued. The abilities of the Grimms to witness the small woge is when the Wesen's emotions are in an unstable state such as surprise and sadness but if none of those are met, a Grimm can never know if one is a Wesen. However, if Kelly truly developed this ability, he could identify the Wesens among the Kehrseite whenever he wants.

"Give it a closer look," he instructed Adalind while sighing in discontent. "I can't attend to both of them as I should have because of the things I have to finish. But, once all of these are over, I can be with you and the kids whenever we want it."

Adalind just smiled. "Come on Nick, don't be too hard on yourself. You're doing fine. We're doing fine."

"I just want it all to be over. With House Varia's power, I can safeguard Portland without needing to be directly involved but that won't happen not unless I put the other Houses under control and completely eradicate Black Claw," he sighed again. "Addie, we've lived two lifetimes already. I just want to be a husband and a dad through and through in this one."

"Honey you will," Adalind said as a matter of fact. "And you're nearly done."

"Sorry about the sudden whining," he chuckled bitterly. "I just can't help feeling that I'm missing out a lot, being with you and the twins, being the husband and the dad that I wanted to be."

"I just said it Nick, you're doing fine."

Nick finally let a jovial smile. "Thank you. Doing fine or not, I will do better. I will make a better life for us and our children in this timeline. Then one day, we're gonna find Eve and reunite her with Kelly."

It's been three years but they've never once forgotten about Eve. This world was created due to her wishes and though Kelly had forgotten about her, her memories still resides in the depth of his soul. They could tell that even at his current state as a toddler that's yet to understand the concept of romance, he still longs for the return of his beloved.

He is yet to realize it but when he does, they wanted Eve to be at his side already.

"About that," it is Adalind who raise her concern now. They've been searching for Eve since Day 1 and thus, had put all the identified Beisters in all the States of the free world under watch. One or a pair of them will be Eve's parents. "Are you sure Eve will still be born as a Hexenbeist in this timeline?"

"That's what her instruction had told me," Nick said. "If from whom, I think she herself is not sure."

"How about Juliette?" Adalind broached. "She was born from her during the previous timeline, don't you think that maybe this time, she'll bring her about the natural way."

"I'd considered that," he admitted. "And I had placed someone to watch Juliette just to be sure. But, she remained single these past three years. And to all that somehow made it past the first date, none of them is Wesen, much more a Zauberbeist. So like this I don't know how she'll become Eve's birth mother."

* * *

A week since what happened in Nick's precinct, Juliette decided that it's about time to finally let go of Portland.

For three years since Nick left, Juliette realized that she's unconsciously still waiting for him and the belief that he too never finds someone else these past three years had kept that fantasy alive.

But now that is no longer the case. Juliette couldn't still comprehend what is it that Nick had involved himself with that he can't bring her along but he'd already found someone whom he can.

How can she compete with that?

Staying in Portland will just continuously hurt her. She needed a new start. Somewhere where there's no possibility that she might encounter Nick and his family especially his wife. Somewhere where it's just about her.

So she put the house, what used to be their house, on sale, closed her clinic, and looked for a new residence and job opportunity in other States. She's eyeing either Los Angeles or Phoenix but anywhere is fine as long as it's not here in Oregon.

And today, she received a response to one of her applications. It's in Salt Lake City in Utah. Her sheets impressed them and are eager to have her as soon as possible.

Juliette then immediately grabbed this opportunity and prepared to depart.

She doesn't know if one day she'll return in Portland again and at one point, confront Nick and have closure. But for now, she's content that she can at least evade the heartache of seeing the man she still loved married and in love with someone else.


	12. CHAPTER 12 – The Return

**CHAPTER 12 – The Return**

10 months had passed since Sean took possession of not just one but two of the keys from Burkhardt. From then, he abided to the condition the Grimm had threatened towards him out of fear that he might make things difficult for him before the keys could procure him the influence he sorely needed. However, once his objectives are met and he rise to power, he's already devising a plot to get a firm hold of Burkhardt and he could use Adalind to accomplish that.

Before, when Burkhardt discovered his heritage and left his girlfriend as a result, Sean found it as a lost opportunity as the Grimm had discarded the only evident weakness that can be exploited against him. But now, it didn't only reveal that he has plenty but one of them is a person he is very familiar with.

Once the throne is and with Catherine at his side, he's confident that he has enough means to once again sway Adalind to his side. And once Adalind align herself with them, Burkhardt will follow.

Having them all, he can further solidify his position once he is crowned as king of House Kronenberg. Who would dare challenge his authority if he had them at his disposal? However, that's remains a thing for the future. He doesn't have a crown or a throne yet. It doesn't matter how many aristocrats supports him. As long as his father sits in the throne, he can always name himself as the king.

Then, as Sean was pondering over his next move, a man in a suit came into his office without knocking. "Who are you?" Sean frowned at the sudden intrusion.

"Just a messenger," he simply said as he handed to him an invitation. "An invitation from House of Varia. A month from now, the coronation of the new King will be held here in Portland. The heads and the heirs of the other Houses are invited, as well as the significant figures in Portland belonging to the Wesen community. The new King of the House of Varia wishes for your attendance."

Sean's irritation was instantly replaced with confusion. _The new King of the House of Varia? _Among the 7 Royal Families that grapples for control over the Wesen community, only House of Varia is stepping back which is expected given that their founders are archivists instead of ruling figures. However, whenever they spoke, everyone listens. When they say 'do this', everyone complied.

They don't grapple for power not because they are not interested but because they don't have to. With what they keep in their libraries and vaults, they literally have the means to destroy the modern world. That's why everyone listens and complies with them.

However, Sean wonders for two things. First, who would be the new King? The present King is known to be unwed, so the successor is highly likely to originate from a vassal House. Then, whoever he is, how did he get to know him? Sean is certain that he'd never been active towards any other Houses except of his own. Second, why here in Portland?

Unlike again the other 6 Houses, House of Varia has no official fief. Not because again that they don't have the resources to possess land but because they can name any land anywhere in the planet to be their fief and let it go at any given time in case they fancy another. This is a privilege given to them by the 1% of the 1%, the true ruling figures that governs the world from the shadows.

The current King wants his seclusion, so the land where he reigned was in Alaska. But this successor had fancied Portland and Sean wonders why?

"Excuse me," the messenger's voice snapped him of his musing. "My apologies but his Highness had strictly instructed that I must return with a response right away. So, what would it be?"

It's yes of course. Only a fool will defy House of Varia.

When the messenger left, Sean's phone rings. It was Catherine. "What is it?"

_-Sean, you won't believe who just came to my house._

Catherine said excitedly. Sean already had an idea which further plagued him with more questions but he still let Catherine officially confirmed that assumption.

_-A messenger from House of Varia came, inviting me for their new King's coronation._

"So did I," Sean replied.

_-You think this is sign that they are acknowledging you too as the next king of Kronenberg._

"Hopefully." That could be the case but why invite Catherine too?

Regardless, they will find out in a month's time. Hopefully, the reason is to his favor.

* * *

The peaceful dinner time in the Burkhardt mansion was suddenly interrupted by the presence of a figure that's been banging their front gate while screaming.

Receiving this, Nick immediately accessed the security camera of the front gate and was shock upon identifying who she is.

It was Juliette.

And in the middle of the heavy rain, clad in a worn out trench-coat and with a backpack hanging on her back, she repeatedly and desperately bangs the gate, screaming, "Hey! Anyone here?! I don't know who you guys are but Jeff told me head here! Please, I need your help!"

Nick didn't waste time. He opened the gate right away and sends his securities to bring her inside.

"Nick?" When she saw him, she immediately run to him and cried. "Nick!" Embracing him, her shudders radiates to him. Her face is pale and her hands are as cold as a corpse. She's greatly shook, afraid, and above all, confused.

After some time comforting her and deducing that she'd somehow calmed down, Nick asked, "Juliette, what happened?"

However, she was unable to reply as she had, at the point, fainted.

His men immediately brought her to the nearest guest room and their housemaids changed her with dry and warmer clothing. Nick also had to heal her as she had a high fever. She is fine now but is completely exhausted. Also, they still have to bring a Doctor the next day despite Nick healing her for the reason that while changing her clothes, the maids noticed the bump in her stomach and later, Adalind confirmed that Juliette is pregnant.

"She looks awful," Adalind said as they tend to her at bedside. "What do you think happened to her?"

Nick slowly shook his head, "I don't know. What matters for now is she's safe."

"By the way, how did she find you?"

"She didn't," Nick refuted. "She has no idea that this was my house. All she said is that Jeff told her to head here." He then shook his head, "I don't know any Jeff."

"I do." But Adalind does. "Can I check her things?" Nick took Juliette's backpack and hand it over to Adalind. Searching through her things, she found what she was looking for. A black card, and written there in white text is their address. Adalind's expression instantly turned woeful upon seeing this card. "I hope it's not it but I think I know what happened to her."

Adalind didn't share her assumption and instead decided to wait for Juliette to wake up.

By this time, the twins, curious of what's occupying their parents, had followed them in Juliette's room. "Is she okay?" Diana concernedly asked.

"Let's hope so honey," she said to their daughter.

Kelly, on the other hand, didn't spoke any word of curiously and had instead floated and landed beside Juliette's face. Kneeling there, he reached out and lightly patted her face. However, after a few pats, he made a sad, pouty expression and moved away.

But when he was about to leave the bed, his attention was then directed to Juliette's stomach. Crawling towards there, he once again reached out and lightly patted the bump of her stomach. This time, Kelly widely smiled, and happily giggling he exclaimed, "EVAAA!"

* * *

Things needn't need further musing onto how everything pieced together. However, under Adalind's persuasion, she and Nick decided to wait until Juliette wakes up to discuss everything.

It took longer than they expected though.

The doctor came the next day to check onto Juliette's condition. Aside that she's a little underweight, there doesn't seem to be a problem with her pregnancy. But given that she's unconscious and her body needed supplements, the doctor hooked her with an IV and Nick commissioned a private nurse to care for her.

From then, it took two more days before Juliette regained consciousness. She woke up with a start before looking around hysterically, "Where…where am I?"

Fortunately, the nurse and Adalind were there to reassure her of her safety. "It's okay, you're safe, you're safe."

"Where is this place?"

"You're at our house," Adalind replied, rubbing Juliette's back. "How are you feeling?"

Adalind asked but as she did, she heard Juliette's stomach grumbled so she immediately told the nurse to tell the housemaids to prepare food.

Juliette ravaged the food prepared for her which startled even Juliette herself.

Seeing this, Adalind then remembered the time back in the old timeline when she found Eve living in the tunnels. She was also in the similar position, alone, hungry, and with nowhere to go. It's sadly odd to see that even in this timeline, this body of hers is ridden with the same fate.

After that, Adalind called Nick, informing him of Juliette waking up.

An hour later, he arrived. "How are you feeling?" Nick asked.

Juliette glanced between her and Nick then said, "Like I shouldn't be here."

"Well, you're in no condition to do otherwise," Nick said with concern but firmly. "We want to ask what happened to you but if you needed more rest, we can do that later."

"No, I'm fine," she refute. "But I don't know if you'll believe me. It all seems too crazy to be true."

Juliette then told them what happened to her during the last 10 months.

After the confrontation that happened back then at the precinct, Juliette decided to leave Portland and ended up in Utah. There, she met and started dating Jefferson Smyth, a patent attorney.

They've been dating for 6 months and around a couple of months ago, they started living together. However, a month after that, a group of assailants raided their home and when Jeff was fending them off, his skin changed similar to that of a corpse. Their assailants also transformed to have animal like features. Terrified, she didn't look back when Jeff told her to run.

The next day, she caught in the news that Jeff had died and their house was burned down. The local authorities had also listed her as a suspect. Juliette wanted to clear her name but before he died, Jeff had told her to trust no one except for the person living in the address written in the black card he gave her.

Pregnant and with no one to trust, she flee with nothing else but her faith on Jeff's final words for her. That's how she ended up being backed here in Portland and before their front door after nearly a month of being on the run.

"I didn't realize he was referring to you, Nick." Juliette said to Nick.

"Actually, Jeff was referring to me," Adalind corrected. Both Nick and Juliette turned to her. "Jeff was a friend of mine back in college. More than a friend actually once upon a time. I gave him this homing card the last time we've met in case he seeks me in the future."

After Nick and before Sean, there was Jefferson Smyth in between. He was like half of Nick and half of Sean put together, ambitious but with a good moral compass. A pretty rare combination for a Zauberbeist.

He was a perfect boyfriend but in the end, the attraction of Sean along with the insistence of her mother ultimately won her over and she ended her ties with Jeff. "I didn't expect that he still held into this."

"Wait, that doesn't make any sense," Juliette remarked. "How can that card have your present address if you two had last seen each other years ago?"

Adalind smiled softly. "You said you saw Jeff shifted into corpse-like monster, right?"

Juliette nodded, shuddering slightly over the thought. "Like I said, it was crazy. The terror of that night might have caused me to see things."

"You were not seeing things Juliette," Nick told her.

"What?"

"Juliette," Adalind called back her attention. "Did Jeff looked like this," she said and woged.

Juliette screamed and retreated back. "Oh my god, no! Get away from me!"

"Juliette it's okay," Nick soothed her and Adalind de-woged.

Hours had passed. Nick and Adalind had slowly explained to Juliette everything she saw. About Wesens and the Grimms like Nick. She's shaken but had been accepting to their explanations.

"Beisters can create homing cards to give to people whom they want to know their whereabouts later on," Adalind explained. "Once activated, it will reflect the present address of the beister who gave the card. That's how it led you to here. Jeff led you to me."


	13. CHAPTER 13 – The Coronation

**CHAPTER 13 – The Coronation**

"So this is why you left, huh?" Juliette said after everything unveiled to her sinks in.

"Half of it," Nick confirmed but corrected at the same time.

"And the other half?"

"You're looking at her." Nick gestured Adalind with smile, making his wife blush lightly.

"Did you…?" Juliette was about to say.

"No, no, I did not cheat on you when we were still together but when I awaken my power as a Grimm, a spell my Aunt commissioned to be casted on me lost its effect and I…" he hesitated. "…I stopped loving you."

The words were harsh and Juliette didn't deserve to be hurt more by him than he already did but with her entry to the Wesen world and being Eve's mother, she had to know the new reality here. A reality that she and Eve created themselves.

"A spell?"

Nick sighed and began to tell her. "I met Adalind 12 years ago. I don't know anything about being a Grimm, has no idea that she's Wesen, and back then we dated. We even got engaged."

Juliette gasped sharply at the revelation.

"But Aunt Marie found out that she's a Hexenbeist and in the intention of protecting me, she took me away and used a spell to erase my memories. I forgot about Adalind."

"And those memories all came back when you became a Grimm."

Nick nodded. "I'm so sorry that it has to be that way but I don't know how to explain it to you or if I can even explain it at all. So I left with the best explanation I can give. I entered the world of Wesen and in it, I found Adalind again."

"Its fine Nick," Juliette said. "I understand now that you only want to spare me from this life and I'm grateful of that."

"Don't worry," Adalind said this time. "We will help you with the best we can and make sure that you and your daughter will be safe."

"Daughter?"

"We have ways to tell," Adalind said but explain no further. For now, the most important is for Juliette to rest and be nurtured back to health.

Nick and Adalind left the room afterwards and head to the library. Once they were there, Nick finally ranted out his frustrations. "How could we miss it?"

They put every Beister in the US under surveillance in their search for Eve but in the end, they still missed her and because of that, she will not grow up without a father. He tasked his men to investigate it but Adalind had already beaten him to it after asking her former colleagues regarding Jeff.

Turns out that he was in Europe for the most part of the decade and had just returned recently to establish his own firm, that's why they missed him.

"Nick, Eve gave us a headstart and the staff gave you great power but you're not a God. There are things that you can't control and you shouldn't blame yourself every time it happens."

Adalind rubbed Nick back, an insistence for him to calm down.

"What's done is done. We can't bring back Jeff but there's still Juliette here. Without a Dad, Eve will need her Mom more than ever."

Nick could only sigh. "By the way, how's Kelly?"

It is Adalind's turn now to roll her eyes and breathe a groan. "He's having a tantrum because I forbade him from bothering Juliette. I brought him to a hotel to make distance and three bodyguards and three maids are already in the ER because of him," she said then her phone beeped and she corrected, "No, make that 4 bodyguards now."

"Just send him home," Nick bade. "Juliette is awake and I think having kids around will help."

"Alright," Adalind smiled. "I'll have him back by lunch."

* * *

A month had passed without one's notice and for the first in decades, the Kings of the 7 Royal Houses are gathered and in Portland of all places where from the previous years they'd encountered hostilities with serious consequences.

"The last coronation of House of Varia was when? Was it 70 years ago? It's been a long time." Sean with Catherine by his side had engaged into conversation to some significant figures both from the other Royal Houses and from Portland.

The chosen venue was a huge mansion built in Portland not that long ago which can accommodate up to 3,000 people. Thus, for their current number that barely exceeded a hundred, the place is enormous.

"My father wasn't even born then," an heir of a Royal House said.

"I heard that this new King is quite aggressive, violent even," another heir said. "What are your thoughts of these Captain Renard?"

"I don't want to assume until I meet him." Sean is not a fool to fall for that. Over the month that passed, the reputation of the next King of House Varia had spread all over the Wesen Community and the Royals. He is infamous for his aggressiveness and a no-nonsense into imposing the death sentence to anyone that threatens his House and his fief regardless of who they are. His brother and his cousin had fallen prey to that when they attempted to infiltrate Portland in the past.

"To our honored guests," a butler and a group of securities arrived. "His Majesty, King _**Aristotle Varia Dawn **_has arrived."

Sean, Catherine, and the other guests, including his father, Frederick Renard, whom he'd just had the pleasure of seeing today for the first time, were ushered to the meeting hall where an elderly man in his wheelchair is already waiting at the head of the seats at the end of the long table. He is guarded by two towering men in black suits.

"Welcome my dear friends," he started after they were settled to their respective seats. "First, I would like to thank you all for heeding our invitation for this glorious day for our House of Varia."

He gave them the basic courtesies of greeting them all and Sean had the satisfaction of seeing the confused expression of his father when Aristotle greeted him.

"I am beyond my best years. It is now time to step down and entrust the world to the next generation."

'Entrust the world' instead of 'Entrust the House'. Amongst the Seven Houses, only House Varia can utter such claim when passing down their throne. That is because literally, the order of the modern world lies in their hands.

The same time he said that, Aristotle Dawn removed his King's Ring, implying that he no longer held the highest authority of House of Varia. Then settling it down to a ring cushion on the table, he said his farewell with a smile and his men wheeled him out of the room.

This ends the first phase of the ceremony, the abdication of the old King. Next will be the ascension of the new one.

In this phase, after his exit, a butler entered and stood beside the seat Aristotle vacated, he greeted them, "Greetings honored guests, we apologize but his Highness, the King, the new dawn of Varia, will not be here to deliver his greetings."

"What?" Sean and everyone expressed their shock.

What the hell is he talking about? Is he saying that the new King is not here for his own coronation?

"Right now, he is attending an important matter that'll enable us to relish the present order. However, there's no need to be disheartened as his Majesty had decreed that the matters today will rest at the hands of her Majesty, the Queen."

The butler then retreated and the double-door where Aristotle had exited earlier was opened to welcome a blonde lady in white dress.

Sean's eyes widened when the lady in white ceased her steps and faced. At the same time, Catherine who's beside him would have exclaimed if he was a little late into stopping her. "Adalind?" He murmured.

"Hi," Adalind began, smiling at the leaders and ruling figures of the Royal Families and the Portland government. "In behalf of my husband, I, Adalind, Queen of the House of Varia, is welcoming you all into the dawn of the new era."

_**QUEEN! **_It was Sean's turn now to be close to nearly exclaiming. _'She's the Queen? Then it means…'_

Meanwhile, as that thought sinks in, facing them, Adalind began narrating a verse Sean assumed to be Hindi.

_**Sthita-prajñasya kā bhāṣhā samādhi-sthasya keśhava  
Sthita-dhīḥ kiṁ prabhāṣheta kim āsīta vrajeta kim**_

And once she was done she declared, "This is the word of the new Dawn of Varia. It means that when the need arises, the King will come down as a General to personally purge his enemies and protect his kingdom. So what does it implies? The world now demands that Varia must take an active stand and thus, our reply is to do so."

The expressions of everyone present froze.

Adalind's words are no less than a declaration of aggression.

For centuries, the balance of power between the Seven Houses was maintained despite the odd count because House of Varia decided to step aside instead of displaying an aggressive ruling over the Wesen and Kehrseite communities.

"For thousands of years, we stood aside and watched as those whom we entrust the future of the Wesen and Kehrseite execute the same mistake again and again. Order is dwindling. The pureness of the original intention is now corrupted. A change must be done."

However now, under the rule of its new monarch, they intend to end that and break the equilibrium…

"Today, the new Dawn of Varia will enter the forefront. Exercise an active role and steer history to a direction he deemed fit."

…then establish a new one based on their liking.

"I hope no one will disagree." She's smiling brightly but behind that smile is a sinister intention. "After all, it will be a shame if you won't be a part of it."

* * *

Meanwhile, the same time that the coronation is moving forward, all-out confrontations between HW and Black Claw are taking place all over the globe with its largest concentration being in New York.

"Fuck! I told you we should have waited for back up!" Gomez, a fellow Grimm, complained to Trubel upon finding themselves completely surrounded.

"Have a little faith, Gom," Trubel replied lightheartedly after beheading another Hundjager. "You take left, I take right."

"Fuck you!" He cursed at her before exclaiming, "Duck!"

Trubel did and Gomez hammered his axe to the enemy that sneaked behind her.

Another enemy down but there seems to be no end of them. Killing one, two will immediately take their place. Eventually, the extended exertion starts to wear them down.

Gomez is right, Trubel thought. They should have waited for back up. However, Trubel was unable to stay still knowing that these Black Claw bastards that they're currently engaging were earlier about to indiscriminately attack the streets of New York.

Since yesterday, intel had been flooding nonstop enabling HW to foil one Black Claw scheme to another but as a consequence, they resorted into senseless violence and are now attacking civilians in their full woged state with zero care to consequences.

Right now, they're no different to savage beasts.

_**Swish! Swish! Swish!**_

But then, when the two of them were about to be overwhelmed, shadowy flashes suddenly flashed out of nowhere, where whenever they passed by a Black Claw goon, that bastard will lose his or her head.

_**Swish! Swish! Swish!**_

Sweeping through the crowd, the flashes ultimately reaches them, and when they ceased their movements to stand either beside or in front of them, what revealed were a dozen of Asian men in black suit, each equipped with a katana.

"Are you alright, Rubel-san?" The leader of the men in black suit asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "Who are you guys?"

"My name is Midoriya. His Majesty, the King, Nicholas-sama, sent us."

"The King? Nicholas?" Trubel momentarily pondered. "Nicholas?" Then realization struck her, "You mean Nick!?"

"Indeed," he confirmed. "Our mission is aligned with your Hadrian Wall. To purge Black Claw."

"How can you prove Nick sent you?" Trubel made a defensive stance against him. She didn't believe him. They call Nick, King. When had Nick become King? He's just a Homicide Detective moonlighting as a Grimm in Portland.

"Nicholas-sama will confirm it himself."

After saying that, Trubel's phone rang. Checking the ID, it was Nick. "Nick?"

_-Hey Trubel, is Midoriya there now? _

Nick asked.

"Yeah, he's here," she confirmed. "You really sent them?"

_-One of the many. They're Inugamis. I sent teams of them all over the globe to deal with Black Claws._

"Where did you get them? And also, he's been calling you King, what's going on?"

_-I'll answer those in some other time. For now, work with them. Their mission is to eradicate Black Claws before the day is over. Help them as much as you can._

"Okay, I get it." Trubel submitted. Given the present circumstances, her inquiries will have to wait.

The call ended and returning her attention to her surrounding, Trubel now noticed that all the goons that were previously confronting them had been dealt with.

"Midoriya," she then called Midoriya.

"Yes Rubel-san?"

"Nick told me to tag along," she said. "What's next?"


	14. CHAPTER 14 – The Purge

**CHAPTER 14 – The Purge**

"Take anything you need." Midoriya said after opening the trunk of his BMW to present the gears stashed there for Trubel and Gomez.

Presently, they're outside of a compound that belonged to Black Claw. According to Midoriya, in it is one of their communication center. Destroying it will cripple Black Claw in this area. Not to mention the intel they can gather from it.

"Wow," Gomez gasped upon the unveiling of the gears. There are customized axes, katanas, maces, bullet proof vests, and several new model firearms with 100% kill rate. "You have better equipment than we do," he said next, comparing the Inugamis' equipment to the HW allocation. "You have more people than we do." Then, he finally picked up an axe than can generate electricity in its blade. "I'm taking this."

Trubel on the other hand, picked a mace that ignites a small explosion when struck. After that, both she and Gomez wore a bullet proof vest. "What's the infiltration plan?"

Midoriya replied, "Our team will make a commotion out here while the Shinobis will infiltrate from the other side."

"Shinobis? As in Ninjas?"

"Indeed Rubel-san," he confirmed. "Now, let's get moving."

...

_**RATATATATATATAT!**_

Five minutes later, all hell broke loose.

Bullet barely missed them while smoke bombs and grenades were thrown everywhere.

_**BOOM!**_

They are not advancing due to the sheer number of their adversaries and due to also to their terrain advantage but that does not matter because that's not the goal.

Eventually, the Ninjas succeeded into infiltrating the building and destroying their fortress from within. From then, it was only a matter of defeating the ones deployed on the ground.

There were wounded but the Black Claw communication center fell without casualties.

"We head to the next target." Midoriya declared after extracting the data from the computers.

"Immediately? Right now?" Gomez complained.

"Black Claw is retaliating as we speak, we can't lag behind." Midoriya reasoned.

"Fine, fine," Gomez groaned.

Trubel tapped his shoulder and reasoned. "Just see it this way, Gom, it's gonna end today. It's worth the stress."

Thankfully, Gomez saw the merit on that. "I guess."

* * *

Back to the Varia venue.

After the coronation, a buffet was prepared for socializing. A couple or so decided to leave but the rest stayed especially the Royal Houses. After all, with the new order Varia had just established, they needed to assess where they must stand in order to coexist.

Due to this, Adalind was without rest as she entertains each and every royalty and leader than approaches her. However, she nearly lost her poise when it was finally Frederick Renard. Seeing this fucking old man's face made her remember all the shits she was thrown to because of his House from the old timeline.

If it's any consolation, at least Kenneth and Viktor are already dead due to their arrogance and she never had to see them ever again.

If only she can say the same thing with Sean.

Adalind could only groan especially when after hours of waiting, Sean and her mother, Catherine, finally had the chance to approach her.

"Oh hey," she sneered. "Enjoying the event so far?"

"Adalind, what is going on here?" Catherine impatiently asked. "How are the Queen of House Varia?"

"Duh," Adalind scoffed. "For the obvious reason, I'm married to the King."

"But isn't your husband…?"

Catherine was about to say but Adalind stopped her. "Ah-ah, I won't do that if I were you," she said and gave a quick gesture to the people around them.

Looking to what she's pointing at, her mother noticed that everyone's attentions are pointed at them with great interest.

"You know something that these people are dying to know right now." Adalind pointed out. "If I'm in your position I won't give it free of charge."

"It makes sense now," Sean spoke. "This is what he's offering. No wonder you're with him."

He's attempting to get into her nerves but she'd already lived two lifetimes to know how to play through it. "Yes Sean. I realized that I was more ambitious than I give myself credit. I want the sure thing and not the 'what ifs'."

The side of Sean's face ticked as she heavily implies the two words 'what ifs'. He's an aspirant and nothing more as of the present and Adalind rubbed that fact to his face.

"Just so you wait," Sean snarled.

"That too," she retorted. "Aside that it's a bunch of 'what ifs', the waiting is just too tedious," Then she shifted her gaze back to her mother, "Good thing that my Mom here is very patient with you."

Adalind saw how Catherine's expression instantly turned dark when what she said dawned to her. She's already in this position while they are still preparing for war. Regardless how they are in an advantage, if they really are in an advantage, there's no such thing as absolute certainty. They are still about to engage and losing is a glaring possibility. This worries Catherine especially after looking at Adalind's stable standing.

"Well, the keys will be a great help," she said to her mother. "Consider it as a gift from your son-in-law."

...

"Adalind!"

When she parted from Sean and her mom and distance herself from the crowd, a familiar voice instantly chased after her.

Turning around, she greeted him, "Oh hey Bud."

As a Wesen and the Mayor of Portland, Bud is of course present for the coronation. "Everything is ready," he said in a soft voice. "Just say the word and they will move right away."

While the Inugamis are dispatched all over the world to deal with Black Claw, the matters in Portland was left to her by Nick.

"Good," Adalind nodded. "And Black Claw?"

"They received the intel we leaked and as you predicted, they will make a move the moment we head home."

The purging of House of Varia does not only apply to Black Claw and other Wesen terrorist organizations. It also includes the Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen that will or might disrupt the balance House of Varia is aiming to establish, starting with the other Royal Houses and Adalind's approach into dealing with them is striking them with a borrowed knife.

Of course, there are also exemptions. "And the people to secure?"

And unfortunately, because of the bond called DNA, that still includes her mother and because Sean will be with her, that includes him too.

Even in this lifetime, he's still a stain she can't remove.

"Taken cared of."

Adalind nodded again then pat Bud's arm, "Good job."

...

The attacks against the Royals and Portland leaders truly happened as Adalind predicted.

Well, it's not entirely her prediction as she is simply repeating what Nick did during the old timeline when he did the same purging after his coronation. It's not Black Claw back then as they were gone by that time but there are still other Wesen terrorists and other Wesen groups with the same superiority complex as those Royals and political leaders that are needed to be taken cared of that Nick was able to take advantage of.

Some survives but most of the targeted Royalties and leaders were eliminated including Frederick Renard. To be honest, Adalind put more effort into attacking House of Kronenberg than the others nearly to the point that Black Claw could have found it fishy.

Though she indirectly assisted Sean upon accomplishing this, if it will be any consolation, he might leave Portland for Vienna and she and Nick can do something to make it permanent. Hopefully, her mother will also go with him as she doesn't want her anywhere near her children especially now that they are already in the learning years. She doesn't want her children to receive any influence from Catherine Schade.

At that moment, Adalind's phone rang. It was Nick.

-_Hey babe, how are things doing there?_

"Doing well, how about you?"

-_We're about to be done here. Hopefully, there won't be any mishap._

"Is everything going to be fine there?" Adalind asked with great concern. Regardless how invincible her husband is, worrying is something she can never get rid of. She once had nothing and then Nick, Diana, and Kelly came along and she knows that she will go insane if she lost any of them.

-_Everything is going to be fine. Don't worry._

"Just be careful, okay?"

-_I will. Anyway, I have to go now._

"Alright, bye. I love you."

-_I love you too._

* * *

_**BOOM!**_

The force of Bonaparte's power fired to his direction but before it could reach him, his own power from the staff erected an invisible wall that repelled it.

Bonaparte was then barely able to evade when Nick lunged at him with sword at hand.

"So it is you," Bonaparte said after evading and retreating a considerable distance from him. Nick assumed that he's implying about them being the second force that's been interfering with them aside from HW. "This is unexpected."

Presently, they are in the main HQ, a former government black site in Texas, of Black Claw, and while his men are fighting the grunts outside, Nick and Bonaparte are confronting each other inside the meeting room.

"I didn't expect that the feared Portland Grimm has this kind of power."

"I wish I could say the same thing to you but, I'll be honest, there's nothing about you that I don't already know. In fact, you've been acting according to what I want all these times."

This evidently infuriated the Black Claw leader. "How dare you!"

"I could have killed you years ago," Nick disclosed. "But you still have roles to play to my plans. Unfortunately now, you've outlived your use."

"AHHHH!" Bonaparte completely lost it and with the shriek, he woged and fiercely waved his hands forward to fire sharp debris around them towards Nick.

Unfortunately for him, Nick had let go of his sword and summoned his staff and with a wave, the debris stopped midair and changed direction, heading to Bonaparte now.

Bonaparte flinched but able to quickly react, he exploded most of the debris. However, a decent amount had still made it through and cleanly struck him. The hit on the head was the worst one as it temporarily took his vision out that he failed to notice Nick had already closed into a striking distance.

Nick then gripped his staff like a baseball bat and directly hit Bonaparte's stomach.

_**BANG!**_

The impact flung him back like a broken kite and when he crashed against the wall, Nick shifted into a throwing stance and sent the staff to impale Bonaparte's heart.

When the old Zauberbeist realized what had hit him, he coughed out a mouthful of blood. He vainly attempted to pull out the staff but he's completely nailed against the wall as life slowly leaves his body.

Eventually, the light in his eyes dimmed and the staff disintegrated him into a pile of ashes before flying back to Nick's hand.

At that same time, Nick's men charged inside the room and relief washed over their expressions when they saw him unharmed. "Nicholas-sama, are you alright?"

Nick nodded then said, "We're done here. Take everything we might need and bury this place."

"As you command!" They heed at the same time.

...

To say that things went easy after defeating Bonaparte would be a lie. It's smooth. Without the head, the snake is now blind and could only waggle around until it dies. Still, even without a head, the body of the snake is still moving and as long as it does, it can bring harm.

The unpleasant events from the destroyed timeline had taught Nick well to never dismiss danger no matter how unlikely it might seem. He'd paid great price back then for such naivety and he does not intend to repeat it again.

Still, despite the life-threatening day that had just got through, he's grateful that it's over and he can finally go home to his wife and children. Unfortunately, he can't do that just yet.

Unlike the Kelly and Diana from the destroyed timeline, both kids possess the ability to sense life, death, and bloodlust that they could instantly identify if one is filled with malice or had just killed someone and unfortunately for Nick, that is the case for him. He'd taken so many lives over the last 24 hours that the scent of bloods still lingers on him.

Hence, for this sort of instances, it had been procedural that he'll either get home so late that the twins are already asleep or he'll stay someplace until the miasmas had completely left him.

In this case, it's the latter. It's nearly the break of dawn and the twins are about to wake up. He can't go home yet like this not unless he wants to make his children uncomfortable.

**CLANK!**

The elevator stopped and Nick pulled up the grate to enter the loft.

When the need calls, the loft serves as his getaway place. The same as what it is during the destroyed timeline, it is his and Adalind's sanctuary where they can forget everything from the outside world and pretend that everything exist solely within these four walls. It is also here where they fell in love and started their family. This is a place they can never give up regardless of which reality they are.

But when he entered the loft, Nick was surprised to realize that he was not alone.

In the bed, there's Adalind soundly sleeping. And the way she'd fallen asleep while clasping her phone implied that she'd fallen asleep waiting for him, knowing that he will head here.

Tenderness instantly filled Nick's chest as he stared at the sleeping figure of his wife. As silently as he could, he removed his booths and jacket and joined her in the bed. Slowly taking her phone off her hand, he embraced her as he lay next to her.

"Hmmm," she mumbled in her sleep. Sensing the sudden shift of weight and the heat of his body embracing her, her eyes slowly opened and her half-hooded gaze stared directly to his face. "Nick, you're…"

She was about to start but Nick hushed her right away, "Shush," and pulled her closer to him. "That can wait," he smiled weakly, eyes closed, before kissing her forehead.

Adalind smiled back and rest her forehead against Nick's neck.

Yes, everything outside of their loft can wait. For now, in this little haven of theirs, there's only him and her.


	15. EPILOGUE – Happily Ever After

**EPILOGUE – Happily Ever After**

At last the day came. Juliette's water broke. It's a Sunday morning and Nick and Adalind immediately rushed her to the hospital. Then, at precisely 12noon, Juliette gave birth to her daughter.

They called Monroe and Rosalee of the news and they too arrived in the hospital. Juliette was asleep so they all looked at the baby through the nursery window.

"She's back," Adalind said with a tender smile.

Eve.

After all the pain and heartache she had endured, she's finally here. In the world she dreamed of.

"Yes, she is," Nick affirmed, holding his wife's hand.

Meanwhile, Kelly was bouncing up and down impatiently beside them, beseeching either of them to pick him up so that he too can look through the nursery window and see Eve.

It was Nick who complied.

Calling them soulmates might be cheesy and repetitive but at the same time, it is undoubtedly also an understatement. When Nick carried Kelly, he didn't look around the nursery. Though there were 20 other babies inside and despite not being aided by any of them, it didn't took Kelly a second to pinpoint Eve and locked his gaze on her.

"Eva," Kelly longingly whispered.

"Just a little bit more, bud," he reassured him. "You'll be with her soon."

"Eva."

Half an hour later, the nurse told them that Juliette had woken up and she is taking the baby to her. They walked to Juliette's room to find her sitting in the bed cuddling the baby to her chest. Everyone crowded around her to get a closer look at this new member of their family. Again, Kelly was too small to see over the top of the bed so they picked him and Diana and held them both as they leaned forward to look.

"Have you thought of a name?" It was Monroe who asked.

Juliette nodded. "Jeff and I once had a talk that if ever we get to have children, if it's a boy, we'll name him Ernest and if it's a girl, it's Evelyn."

'_Evelyn. Eve.' _Nick thought and smiled.

"Evelyn sounds lovely," said Rosalee.

Needless to say after that, Eve was passed right and left by the adults. Then, when she was back to Juliette's arms, with Kelly urging himself, Nick settled him beside Juliette's waist. He looked at Eve then to Juliette, "Auntie Julet," he demanded, raising his two little arms. "Hold, Eva, hold."

"You want to hold her," Juliette asked.

Kelly nodded excitedly.

"Sure," Juliette agreed. "Just promise to be careful, alright?"

"Okay."

Adalind then sat behind Kelly while Nick beside him to create a protected space for him and Eve. Juliette then placed the sleeping Eve onto Kelly's lap and arranged her carefully to make sure that she's wouldn't slide off.

The moment Eve was placed onto Kelly's lap, he suddenly squealed. "She smilin. Dada she smilin at me! Dada look!"

Kelly was literally shaking with excitement. They all looked down at Eve and Kelly was right. Eve's eyes were wide open and she was studying Kelly face. She had that open mouth and toothless grin that only looks good on newborns. She then closed her eyes again and with a small sigh began to wiggle around, trying to burrow closer to Kelly.

Kelly then looked up to Juliette, then us, with tears in his eyes.

Nick and Adalind couldn't help shed some tears too. Among the people around here, it only them that understand how great is the weight of this moment for Kelly and Eve.

This is the life their former selves had dreamed for themselves and after so many heartaches and a sacrifices, that life is finally a reality.

* * *

Since the day of Eve's return, a year had passed.

It's the Christmas Eve of 2015 and in the old world during this same year, Nick and Adalind had just had Kelly and are still figuring out what they have together. Still letting go of all the pain and hate. Diana is neither Nick's daughter nor is with them and they are both awkward as they live together in their fome.

But in this new reality, in this new world, none of those happened. They are happy and they never wasted the first four years of knowing each other again with lies and hate.

Nick smiled as he watched Adalind finished decorating the tree.

She's amazing and though it was tedious how they got here, he could not ask for anything else.

Suddenly, she picked a small present from the under the tree and handed it to him. "For you."

This confuses Nick. "I thought we aren't exchanging gifts until midnight?"

"Yeah I know but it has been killing me since yesterday. So please," she's half begging. "Open it."

Nick gave her a suspicious look before taking the gift and start ripping through the wrapper. Then opening it, Nick inhaled sharply when its content was revealed.

It's a pregnancy test.

And it reflects positive.

"Wait, does this mean…?"

"Yes," Adalind replied before he could finish.

"We-we-we're going to have another baby?" He stuttered, staring at his wife as the fact sank in.

"Yes."

"Oh my god!" Exclaiming happily, he scooped her up and twirled around with her. "Thank you so much, Addie," he said, capturing her lips. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

"No, Nick, thank you. Thank you for giving me the chance despite everything I…"

She was about to start but Nick stopped her with another kiss. "Shusssh, that's all in the past now. A past that no longer even exist. This is what we have now and this is going to be our happily ever after."

Adalind laughed. As cheesy as that sounds, she could not agree more. In the old world, they are able to create happiness despite all the darkness and resentment that had plagued their bond. In this new world, they vanquished those darkness and resentment before it could consume them and created an untainted happiness.

This is no longer just fate or chances. Things that happened solely because it was the only convenient way.

This is more about choices now. He wanted to be with her and so does she and together, they made it a reality.

"I love you so much, Nick."

"I love you too, Addie," he replied and then looked down, "and you too baby."

**_COSMIC DISTORTION - THE END_**

* * *

**AFTERWORDS:**

So here it is, the Epilogue and Final Chapter of Cosmic Distortion.

Thank you so much for supporting this piece over these past two years. From the indefinite hiatus to the rewrite of the story.

I would never had the motivation to go through and finish the story if it weren't for your support.

I still have no new idea for another story yet but I'm eyeing for some potentials and hopefully, I'll be able to write another one Grimm fanfic and share it with you all.

Again, thank you so much and hope to see you all again soon.

**Mighty Action X** here, signing out.


End file.
